2013

Directed By Gia Coppola

Cinematography by Autumn Durald

Plot Summary

A suburban town in California is home to a group of teenagers trying to navigate through high school, attempting to figure out their identities within both themselves and within each other. The balance of the quiet and shy with the loud and obnoxious is constantly being tested to shape the characters. The film finds itself, and its strength, not within a resolution of these questions but within the search of the answers. 

My Thoughts

Gia Coppola's filmography gets off to a bang with one of the best debut features from a director in a long time. Along with Durald's stunning cinematography, the result paints a coming-of-age story that has been missing in movies for a while now. It's done in a manner that's sophisticated and articulate; yet still dreamy, open, and expansive. The lighting, color palette, and locations all come together to create a unique atmosphere in a world of youth drifting between the sun and the fog of euphoria and uncertainty.