Summer in the Shade – Darkly Coming-of-Age Tale
Director: Alice Millar
Writer: Isobel Boyce (Screenplay)
Starring: Niamh Walter, Nyobi Hendry, Rebecca Palmer, Zaqi Ismail, Fiona Gillies, Helen Masters, Joe Welch
Plot: Summer, 1997. A holiday to Cornwall forces troubled 13-year-old Grace to confront her demons.
Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Summer in the Shade stars as Grace (Walter) gets invited to spend a week away with her best friend Asta (Hendry) and her mother Kate (Palmer). Grace is giving her mother Jenny (Gillies) time to deal with fact her husband left them.
When the three-meet stranger Sid (Ismail) they find themselves in a family dynamic. Where Grace will need to start facing the changes coming her way in the next few years.
Thoughts on Summer in the Shade
Characters & Performances
Grace is the 13-year-old girl that has just seen her parents split up suddenly, living her mother struggling. She gets to go on holiday with one of her best friends. Grace is reaching the beginning of her first steps into womanhood with nobody around her to talk to. With Kate her best friend’s mother around for her. She finds herself feeling left out on the holiday as things start to slowly unfold in her life.
Asta is the best friend who is looking for the adventures. Hoping her friend will be around her for the changing coming in their lives. Kate is the mother of Asta who is happy to have Grace on the holiday with the pair. She needs to break away from everything too.
The three leads Niamh Walter, Nyobi Hendry and Rebecca Palmer are great in the movie. Each bringing the importance of the troubles their characters are going through.
Story
The story here follows a young teenager who joins her best friend and her mother on a holiday away after her parents split up. Summer in the Shade will see the 13-year-old going through the changes in life that will define where she goes next, right at the time when she might not have the people needed around her in life. This will put the importance on this, which is always going to be difficult for any teenage girl, showing how things will become difficult with even the friends around them.
Themes
Summer in the Shade is a drama that will use the idea to escape from a chance in life, while breaking from the business life being left behind for the time away in Cornwall. It will have plenty of coming-of-age elements involved in the movie.
Summer In The Shade will be available on Digital Download from 20th June and can be pre-ordered on iTunes and Chili
Final Thoughts – Summer in the Shade is a great coming of age tale.
