GRIFFIN IN SUMMER

Directed by Nicholas Colia | 90 min | USA 

Cast: Everett Blunck, Melanie Lynskey, Owen Teague, Kathryn Newton

HEADLINER

For aspiring young playwright Griffin Nafly, summer break means it's time to stage another dramatic new play, this time an ambitious cross between "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and "American Beauty." However, his producer and cast members are starting to get distracted by more trivial (aka: fun) teen pursuits, so Griffin's attention shifts toward the hunky handyman (Owen Teague) his mom has hired to do some light renos around the house. Finding himself utterly smitten, but also seeing Brad as a peer and kindred creative spirit, Griffin embarks on a potentially life-changing summer.

With gut-busting laughs, genuine emotion, and stellar performances from Melanie Lynskey, Owen Teague, and (in a bonafide star-making performance as young Griffin, 14-year-old Everett Blunck), first-time feature filmmaker Nicholas Colia explores the awkwardness of young, unrequited love in a way that's both hilarious and utterly poignant.