The Summer of Sangaile

It seems like every other WLW film out there is a coming-of-age drama. The commonality of this sub-genre along with the fact that I’m neither young nor old enough to appreciate coming-of-age dramas mean they have to be particularly good to grab my attention and approval. The Summer of Sagaile absolutely grabbed it. This is one of the best WLW coming-of-age dramas I’ve ever seen.

The Summer of Sangaile is about the titular Sangaile. She is an awkward and shy teen who dreams of flying planes. Sangaile meets Auste and is instantly smitten. Through her relationship with Auste, Sangaile finds the courage to pursue her dreams and generally grows as a person.

The directing in Sangaile is really what makes it. This is a film that I genuinely regret not having a chance to see in theaters because it is gorgeous. The visuals create a real sense of nostalgia that is appropriate. The camerawork and visuals also allow us entry into Sangaile’s mind and tell us about how she sees the world. When Auste is onscreen, she’s shot in a way that portrays such longing. And the lighting! Whoever lit this movie deserves all kinds of awards. The lighting in Sangaile ties strongly to reflecting emotions and mood. God, it’s just done so well.

The Summer of Sangaile is a rare movie that actually captures the feeling of youth. Not every movie that has youths in it manages to do that. It also manages to evoke nostalgia for that time even in someone like me who is not quite old enough to feel it generally. This movie is written by someone who clearly has nostalgic for their own youth but retains clarity of what it was actually like. That’s a fine line many writers can’t manage. Also, this is a movie written by someone who is a talented writer which also definitely helps.

Sangaile works because it allows characters and the core relationship to have realistic flaws. These characters are teenagers and teenagers kind of suck. The Summer of Sangaile gets that. I adore Sangaile and Auste’s relationship. It’s based on such a strong level of support and comes from a basis of friendship. At the same time, the relationship can dip into the obsessive, manipulative and unhealthy. I genuinely think that’s a good thing. First relationships aren’t likely to be fully healthy because teenagers aren’t emotionally mature enough to know how. And at the end of the day, this relationship, despite its flaws is looked back on as a positive thing in Sangaile’s life.

Sangaile does engage in one trope that drives me nuts. That’s the immediate jump from a non-romantic/sexual relationship to sex. In one scene they go to friends to something more. And by something more, I mean we immediately get a sex scene. It’s a well-shot, not overly exploitative sex scene at least. But still, scenes like this always seem rushed. I wish more movies would have a slightly more gradual descent from friends into sexual partners.

The Summer of Sangaile is a beautiful, effective movie that I wholly recommend. Featuring a script that manages to tie in the flaws of teen years with a sense of nostalgia and truly stunning cinematography, this is a must-see in the over saturated genre of teen coming-of-age dramas

Overall rating: 8.7/10

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