Movie Reviews

‘Summertime’ Blu-Ray Review – Lyrical Journey Through Los Angeles Provides Emotional Catharsis

By Dillon Gonzales
November 30, 2021
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When director Carlos López Estrada made his debut with the blistering Sundance drama Blindspotting, you could feel that it was an announcement of a major new force. This love letter to Oakland tackled themes of race and gentrification through both a literal and figurative lyricism that helped solidify the themes into something special. In his sophomore feature, Estrada once again indulges the melodic nature of his story, this time more explicitly as 25 talented poets come together for an interweaving exploration of Los Angeles through verse. Summertime plays in the same (intentionally) meandering sandbox that director Richard Linklater perfected with films such as Dazed and Confused which found distinct personalities pairing off in different configurations for maximum effectiveness. What makes Summertime especially impactful is the way in which it allows various underrepresented personalities to find their voice, speak their truth and reaffirm what makes them an essential part of the community.

Over the course of a single day, these disparate individuals traverse their city and unburden their feelings through verse, like a musical without the backing music and less dancing. The film aims for you to look beyond any surface-level stereotypes in hopes of getting to what really makes up these characters. One of the most prominent of these characters is Tyris (Tyris Winter), an impassioned LGBTQ African American teenager first seen scoffing at a $15 piece of avocado toast at a trendy restaurant when all he wants is a hamburger. In Los Angeles, should it really be so difficult to find a simple hamburger? The hamburger is used as a metaphor for the gentrification and homogenization that have ruined the culture of the city he feels like he no longer knows. We return to him quite frequently as he wanders from place to place, strategically implementing Yelp reviews as his only true weapon against the encroaching entities. The quest is low stakes and oftentimes hilarious, but there is more at play underneath for this young person.

This is true of almost everyone who is given a small moment to shine. Mila (Mila Cuda) provides a lacerating takedown of a homophobe on a city bus who balks at the sight of two older women displaying affection for one another. Marquesha (Marquesha Babers) delivers the most incendiary attack of the film as she therapeutically confronts a crush who once shamed her body. It is not just the words that provide a level of catharsis cinema rarely achieves, but it is also seeing the effect the piece is having on its author by relinquishing the weight of the pent up anger. This is not a movie for everyone. Seeing emotions expressed so bluntly and without an ounce of self-doubt can be a deeply uncomfortable experience to those who rather not explore anything of such depth. The same can be said of the topics that many of these groups are discussing as they bare their soul. Those who throw around “woke” as a pejorative should stay far away, as many of them have been silenced for too long and will not be so any longer.

As serious as this film can be, it more often than not is drop dead funny or deliriously joyful. A personal highpoint of the film features a discussion between Paolina (Paolina Acuña-González) and her mother about her appearance which explodes into a dazzling female empowerment dance number that rivals anything you would see in La La Land. Just as satisfying, although in a very different way, is to see the journey of Anewbyss (Bryce Banks) and Rah (Austin Antoine) from two ignored rappers peddling their wares on the street to selling out large venues based on the strength of their song all about loving their moms. It is a different kind of magical realism, but it plays into the heightened world that Estrada has crafted with such care. Many threads coalesce into a meditative finale overlooking the city that has both given and taken so much from everyone. Even with its sprawling nature, you feel as if you have formed a connection with these people and understand their nuances a bit more. It is a beautiful and thrilling example of how cinema can make us feel closer to one another. Estrada has a gift for melding words with visual storytelling in a way that leaves you in awe.

Video Quality

Summertime comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that is truly stunning. This is a visually rich film with beautiful shots of nature and the city throughout where you can see an incredible amount of detail. The film is bursting with vivid colors in nearly every frame, and there are various moments that really pop from the lush nature to some important moments of vibrant clothing. The interiors are typically more subdued with a cooler tone that the presentation represents perfectly with a pleasing richness. The white levels are handled beautifully, along with the intensely deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. This presentation is definitely a knockout on the Blu-Ray format.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that conjures a very specific mood that transports you to this city. The film uses music in really powerful ways that fill the room, especially the unexpected hits from Anewbyss and Rah. The dialogue comes through crystal clear without ever being overpowered by the sound effects or the score. The sound design is just as precisely thought-out as the on screen visuals with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a really nice soundscape of nature and the din of the city. This is not an action-heavy film, but activity in the low end is strong thanks to the music. This is a lovely sounding release that brings the movie to life in a really beautiful way.

Special Features

The Road To Summertime – The Making Of Summertime: A substantial 46-minute featurette in which director Carlos López Estrada and the creative team discuss the development of this idea, getting involved with the GetLit poetry collective, collaborating with poets on what they wanted to say in the film, landing on the structure for the film, break down the production of key sequences in the film, bringing the film to Sundance and more that fans of the film should not pass up.

Becoming A Poet with Kelly Marie Tran: An eight-minute featurette in which Executive Producer Kelly Marie Tran (and Raya and The Last Dragon star which Estrada directed) gets a crash course on baring your soul through words. This is a really fun look at the process and what can happen when you take that leap of faith.

Q&A with Cast & Director: An 18-minute piece in which Kelly Marie Tran hosts small discussions with the poets and Estrada in which they reveal what being in this movie means to them, the importance of representation and more. This piece concludes with a few performances from the poets.

Home Pt. 3: A three-minute recitation of a poem by some of the talent from the film.

Trailers: This disc provides the Theatrical Trailer (1:45) and an Alternate Trailer (0:59).

Final Thoughts

Summertime is an inventive showcase of the way film can be manipulated to tell stories in varied ways. Director Carlos López Estrada brings together over two dozen individuals for lyrical dance that is equal parts dramatically powerful and joyous. The film is progressively minded in a well that feels fresh and accessible. Kino Lorber has released a Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. Recommended

Summertime is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Good Deed Entertainment and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.