by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
What does writer-director James Ponsoldt have to offer audiences next? This is a filmmaker who created one of the best hidden gems of the past 10 years in the form of The End of the Tour. When I saw that film, I instantly became excited to see what Ponsoldt would do next. Then there was The Circle. There was so much potential, but that film turned out to be messy and misguided. But now Ponsoldt has made a bold choice by coming from a completely different perspective. His latest film, Summering, is a preteen girl coming-of-age flick.
Does this seem like a film that would be a good fit for such a filmmaker? As it turns out, it might not have been. Overall, this is entertaining. The unfortunate truth is that it can be seriously misguided at times. What does Ponsoldt not know well? How preteen girls think and interact. There are some fun interactions between some of the girls and their mothers, as well as between each other, but there are some that are downright cringey. As a 30-year-old man, I would never claim to be an expert on how preteen girls interact with each other or their mothers… but I even know some of the dialogue in this film is silly and ridiculous. I would be surprised if preteen girls might laugh at how off it is.
But these are not the only misguided elements in the film. There are some other moments that feel like bad judgments. At one point, one of the girls steals her mom’s gun (who is a cop), and then discharges it in proximity of her friends. This kind of stuff probably should have been left out of the film. There is also a question of how four preteen girls would react to a dead body. You can tell that Ponsoldt is going for a female Stand by Me, but it is still awkward with how it plays out. There are some horror elements that are also randomly thrown into the story that feel quite out of place. If they felt organic and effective, that is one thing. But those scenes feel like distractions and half-baked ideas that don’t really amount to much in the end.
But it is not all bad, is it? Ponsoldt shot the film quite well. It has a textured and warm feel as these girls go adventuring. You can feel the energy and the joy that they bring each. You can feel that there is a passion and motivation for the film (even if some of the elements are misguided). There is some strong camerawork, including one scene that uses some 360 shots to capture a séance. The tone might feel off when those horror elements slither into the narrative, but the general coming-of-age tone feels genuine.
But do we care about the girls and the journey? The overall mystery of who the missing body is and why it is significant might feel underdeveloped and distracting, but I did find myself connecting with these four girls and their personal journey. It is really about a group of friends and confronting an uncertain future. They each have their own dynamics with their mothers and their own challenges. All four young women do a great job in the film, and they have strong chemistry with each other and their onscreen mothers. Lake Bell and Lia Barnett have the highest stakes in terms of their drama, which gives them a chance to shine. Eden Grace Redfield and Megan Mullaly have great banter back and forth. But that is not to say Sanai Victoria and Madalen Mills don’t have strong dynamics with their mothers (Sarah Cooper and Ashley Madekwe) as well, because they do too.
Is Summering a fresh start for Ponsoldt? I do think this unfortunately continues the trend of his career where his potential (and the potential of the stories) crack under misguided ideas and approaches. This preteen girl story was probably not the best direction to go for this director. You could tell this tale begged for a creator who had a better connection with the story. But it is still entertaining enough to have a good time.
Score: 5/10
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