Over the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, the lives of 27 young Angelenos intersect. A skating guitarist, a tagger, two wannabe rappers, an exasperated fast-food worker, a limo driver — they all weave in and out of each other’s stories. Through poetry, they express life, love, heartache, family, home, and fear. One of them just wants to find someplace that still serves good cheeseburgers.
Inspired by a spoken-word showcase featuring 25 diverse high school performers, Carlos López Estrada (“Blindspotting,” “Raya and the Last Dragon”) proposed a collaboration to develop the performers’ work into a loose, interconnected narrative, encouraging the non-actors to express themselves and their relationship to their city.
With its “Slacker”-inspired structure, fanciful form, and exuberant magical realism, “Summertime” is a free-verse poem — of the kids, by the kids, for the kids. The young poets radiate vitality, honesty, and profound emotion. By the time they wind up together in a tricked-out mega-limo overlooking the city, we believe in what their crazy, creative togetherness represents: hope. As the driver says, “Y’all got a pocket full of dreams, so don’t let me down.”
Starring Tyris Winter, Marquesha Babers, Maia Mayor, Austin Antoine, Bryce Banks, Lee Blankenship, Bene’t Benton, Gordon Ip, and Jason Alvarez.
Executive Produced by Kelly Marie Tran (“Blindspotting,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”), Neil Garvey, Patrick Murray, and Andrew Blau.
Directed by Carlos López Estrada (“Raya and the Last Dragon,” Blindspotting”).
In Theaters in LA/NY Friday, July 9th and Nationwide Friday, July 16th
