'The Kings of Summer' – the summer of adulthood

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts' independent film about three boys who run away from home to live in the woods is reminiscent of the work "Into the Wild".

The Kings of Summer was nominated for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival – the cradle of discovering independent film talents. With a budget of over one million USD and a cast of “unknown” actors, Jordan Vogt-Roberts brought more than what the audience expected in his third independent film project.

The Kings of Summer tells a story that is both strange and familiar about adulthood. Joe Toy is a teenager, struggling to adapt and deal with the psychological problems of puberty. He cannot find sympathy or a common voice with his father. In fact, his father's harshness and imposition make Joe want to leave home many times. Joe's friend Patrick sympathizes with Patrick - a friend who is luckier to have a complete family but is completely lost in his own home.

Poster for the movie "The Kings of Summer".

Together with the eccentric boy Biaggio, Joe and Patrick realized: “Why live when you can rule?”. The group of friends decided to make their first “revolution” by leaving home for the forest, living freely as they wished.

The plot about the troubles and rebellious aspirations of adulthood in the film easily reminds the audience of the true story that has entered both literature and cinema - Into the Wild. Both the sad story about a young man facing a bright future but suffering a tragic ending (dying alone in the forest) and the story about three high school boys who cannot find a home to return to in The Kings of Summer both mention the dream of freedom of youth in the face of prejudices and barriers from family and society. What role do parents play in their children's lives until adulthood, as well as what children really need from their parents to overcome the first turning point in life are the issues that the directors raised together.

If Christopher McCandless of Into the Wild is a typical example of the spiritual tragedy of youth in the face of social prejudice, generational conflict and the dominating power of money, then at a lower level, Joe or Patrick of The Kings of Summer also suffer crises in daily communication with parents and face a life lacking freedom. Young boys begin to have a real need for privacy but are still urged by their fathers at the bathroom door, forced to eat lamb stew and participate in family games in the evening instead of going out with friends.

The three main characters in the film - Patrick, Biaggio and Joe.

The lack of affection from his mother, along with the indifference and selfishness of his violent father, made Joe call the police for help more than once. The life of imprisonment in his own family made Joe, Patrick and their peers want to rebel. The lively, crisp drumbeat in the opening scene of the film is the "battle drum" calling for breaking barriers and living freely for this group of young people struggling to grow up.

On the other hand, The Kings of Summer is similar to The Way Way Back by two directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash - produced in the same year 2013. Both films are about the brilliant summers of youth. Those are the days of leaving school, the first part-time jobs, the first feelings and memorable lessons about friendship... In that way, The Kings of Summer is no longer a heavy, tense film arising from family conflicts. The beautiful scenes, low-angle shots reflecting the brilliant summer sky make the audience feel like they are admiring a song about green youth in the mountains and nature.

Three boys left their families in the woods and built a house to live together.

Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and Moises Arias are all newcomers that the director trusted to play the three main characters. Their natural acting with the "natural" emotions of adolescence makes the boys a lively and compatible trio. A familiar face, Nick Offerman, who was once known in the Jump Street series, plays the harsh, grumpy father struggling with the problems of his teenage son. This is a character that parents find a lot of sympathy for, both in the way of indignation and sympathy in the film.

The film’s theme song – The Youth – was also widely shared as a beautiful song about youth and their desire for freedom. The Kings of Summer started from the same point as Into the Wild in the dissatisfaction of adulthood but “landed” safely with a brighter ending when the boys found the meaning of family and friendship at the end of the journey.

The refrain “Why accept such a life?” still rings out like a drumbeat, urging in the chest of youth every summer. But when going through adulthood, the problems will be perceived and solved in a different way. Therefore, the film will be something memorable, not too haunting and tormenting like the sad story of young McCandless in Into the Wild.

According to VNE