What To Watch: ‘Griffin In Summer’

Writer/director Nicholas Colia’s debut feature film, Griffin In Summer, is a sensitive, smart, and funny coming-of-age gem that earns every bit of its heartfelt emotion.

Walking a cinematic tightrope, Colia scores in balancing the tone of the film that at times requires deadpan and awkward moments without being heavy-handed or landing in the land of stereotypes.

The winning performances from the film’s two leads, Everett Blunck and Owen Teague, then elevate the Colia’s work to a new level.

Official synopsis:

Griffin Nafly (Everett Blunck) is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. He’s also fourteen years old and living with his parents in a humdrum suburb while dreaming of moving to New York City.

When his mom (Melanie Lynskey) hires a handsome 25-year-old handyman (Owen Teague), Griffin’s life and his new play take an inspired turn. Also starring Kathryn Newton and Abby Ryder Fortson.

Blunck, in his first leading role, delivers a breakout performance as Griffin, a precocious 14-year-old playwright. He masterfully navigates the character’s blend of self-serious ambition and awkward adolescent vulnerability, making him both laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely endearing.

Teague is equally intriguing as Brad, the older handyman who becomes the object of Griffin’s first crush. He portrays Brad with a subtle, lived-in charm that prevents the character from being a simple trope.

Their dynamic is the heart of the film—a funny, messy, and poignant exploration of unrequited affection and the longing for connection.

Along the way, Colia presents little bites of Griffin’s life observances to the viewer, and then brings them together for the film’s finale where it all adds up.

In a press statement, Colia shares he found the inspiration for Griffin in Summer while taking some time off after graduating from NYU Film School. Coming across his family’s old home movies at his parents’ house, he decided to digitize the clips.

Amongst the endless baby videos, the now colorless weddings of relatives since divorced, I found dust-covered VHS tapes of the various plays and films I had directed out of my parents’ basement as a teen but hadn’t really revisited since.

Watching them back as an adult, I was finally at a place where I was able to see the unintentional absurdity of these productions.

The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival where it received awards for Best US Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, and the Special Jury Mention for New Narrative Director.

Since then, it’s played over twenty additional festivals across the US and Europe. The movie currently has an impressive 96% “Fresh” rating over on Rotten Tomatoes.

Following its theatrical release, Griffin in Summer will be available on VOD September 16.