I felt like there were two different films going on here; one subplot was the relationship between the two graduating kids, enjoying what may be their last summer together, while mapping out what might also be their futures. Lots of discussion of jonah going off to school, while that may or may not be in the cards for luke. Sweet. Cute. Minimal dialog. You can really feel the love and appreciation they have for each other. One sad moment is when jonah says "i wish you'd ask me to stay"... luke says "no, can't do it." we know why he can't, but it would have been romantic to explain why he couldn't. Or was it too obvious ? Maybe. I do respect when writers and directors give the viewer credit for understanding things. I was surprised luke didn't take that moment to explain himself. Oh, the second subplot? The long, drawn out scenes of nature, background, forests, colors, light shading. That should have been a short film (documentary ?) all by itself. I found myself fast forwarding through the long scenes where not only is there no dialog, but it's a long time before we even see a character in the film again. Written and directed by mark thiedeman. Mixed feelings on this one. I enjoyed watching the scenes with the two guys, but didn't dig the long, drawn out bumpers between the scenes. Or maybe i just have a short attention span.
Review of Last Summer
