Summer of 85

"Whoever dies first, the other promises to dance on his grave."

2020 1h 41m FR

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 953

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

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What do you dream of when you're 16-years-old and in a seaside resort in Normandy in the 1980s? A best friend? A lifelong teen pact? Scooting off on adventures on a boat or a motorbike? Living life at breakneck speed? No. You dream of death. Because you can't get a bigger kick than dying. And that's why you save it till the very end. The summer holidays are just beginning, and this story recounts how Alexis grew into himself.

“Whoever dies first, the other promises to dance on his grave.”

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Cast

Félix Lefebvre
Alexis Robin
Benjamin Voisin
David Gorman
Philippine Velge
Kate
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Madame Gorman
Melvil Poupaud
Mr. Lefèvre
Isabelle Nanty
Madame Robin
Laurent Fernandez
Mr. Robin
Aurore Broutin
The Educator

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: François Ozon
Writers: François Ozon, Luc Desportes
Languages: French, English
Countries: Belgium, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 52% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Belgium, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by François Ozon, shot by Hichame Alaouié. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Laure Gardette shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin and Philippine Velge carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

François Ozon directs. Hichame Alaouié behind the camera. Jean-Benoît Dunckel scores. Laure Gardette cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Belgium, France. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 52% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 6 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4International production across 2 countries: Belgium, France.
5Directed by François Ozon, shot by Hichame Alaouié. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Laure Gardette shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin and Philippine Velge carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Whoever dies first, the other promises to dance on his grave.".
10IMDB entry: tt10457128 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 30 themes, including "based on novel or book", "sailing", "normandy, france", "motorcycle".

The technical file

Cinematography: Hichame Alaouié
Original score: Jean-Benoît Dunckel
Editing: Laure Gardette
Production design: Benoît Barouh
Costume design: Pascaline Chavanne
Makeup / hair: Franck-Pascal Alquinet
Stunt coordinator: Pascal Guégan
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,900,000
Box office: $3,600,000
Return: 52% of budget
Original language: FR
IMDB: Summer of 85 (2020)

Also by

François Ozon

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Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2021-03-18
★ 7/10
Francois Ozon's 'Summer of 85' is a bittersweet film, one that ultimately encourages its audience to embrace the joy and the heartache of first love, along with the ephemerality of having a life-changing presence in your life. - Jake Watt Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-summer-of-85-a-refreshingly-nuanced-coming-of-age-story
CinemaSerf2022-03-27
★ 7/10
Félix Lefebvre (who reminded me, here, of a young Charlie Hunnam in "Queer as Folk" (1999)) is sixteen year old "Alex" who takes his friend's dinghy out for a sail and gets caught in a thunderstorm that capsizes his boat. Luckily for him, Benjamin Voisin ("David") is nearby and tows him ashore and into his mother's recuperative bathtub! The next six weeks are now depicted in a cleverly interwoven mix of current and recent storylines as we realise that a tragedy has occurred and that the two young men had something of a relationship during the intervening period. On the face of it - it's just a gay coming of age drama, but Levebvre has an intensity and innocence about him. His performance as the young man who falls so completely and utterly in love is heart-rending, sincere and stylishly captured by the photography - and must remind all of us of that first, inexplicable, "love" that we may well still recall to this day. To be fair, it is easy to see why he fell for the charismatic, exciting "David" - who offers him profound changes to his life, and to the rather linear options that most of us faced at 16 - job or school - but the story is more nuanced than that and though it is certainly not without some fairly substantial holes and inconsistencies, it sort of works. The Cure's "In Between Days" and an oddly effective "Sailing" from Rod Stewart provide a remarkably potent soundtrack that resonates not just the moment, but the sentiment too. Not, maybe, Ozon's finest work but I suspect we may see more roles from his young star in the future.
kinrich302026-08-30
★ 8/10
This was an incredibly good movie, although it really wouldn't be considered a happy ending, it does end on a hopeful note.