Summer of Mesa

Summer of Mesa is a 2020 coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Josh Cox who was 20 years old during the shoot.[1] Set in 1985 on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, it stars Molly Miles, Andrea Granera, and Alec Bandzes. The story chronicles the romantic relationship between 16-year-old Lily, and Mesa, a girl her age who she meets on the peninsula.[2]

Summer of Mesa
Film poster
Directed byJosh Cox
Written byJosh Cox
Starring
  • Molly Miles
  • Andrea Granera
  • Alec Bandzes
  • Patricia Ellis
CinematographyJosh Cox
Edited byJosh Cox
Production
company
Americana Pictures
Distributed byAmericana Pictures YouTube
Release date
  • May 22, 2020 (2020-05-22)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$400.00

Plot

Lily Peony is a precocious sixteen year old girl who spends her summers on Cape Cod with her grandmother Anna. Throughout the previous years vacationing, the Peonys grew close with a Cape-native family: single-mother Velma and her teenage son John. During the summer of 1985, after being away from the peninsula for some time, Lily and John find themselves pursuing a mature and unexpected romance which has them both falling quickly for each other. That year, Lily also happens to meet Mesa - a teenage girl who is fascinating to Lily for her undeniable confidence and indescribable beauty. Mesa takes a clear interest in befriending Lily, intrigued by her quiet and mature nature. Through their shared time together, Lily realizes her feelings for Mesa are rather different from her feelings when she is with John. This provokes her internal struggle to identify herself, and feelings for Mesa, over her seemingly more traditional, yet less passionate, relationship with John.

Cast
  • Molly Miles as Lily Peony
  • Andrea Granera as Mesa
  • Alec Bandzes as John 'Johnny' Valentine
  • Patricia Ellis as Anna Peony
  • Kristin Stearns-Stewart as Velma Valentine
  • William Cummings as Noah

Production

With a budget $400,[3] principal photography lasted six days, with locations on Cape Cod.[4] Cox acted as the sole crew member throughout the shoot.[5]

Release

The film premiered on YouTube on May 22, 2020 as its worldwide release[3] and received over 100,000 views in its opening week.[6]

Reception

Summer of Mesa has received a positive response from film critics, appearing on top queer film watchlists from Film Daily[7] to GCN Magazine,[8] among others. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film is praised by online publications such as Flickering Myth who compares Summer of Mesa to The Notebook “but for queer teens.”[9]

Rob Rector of Film Threat’s consensus of the film is that “[Summer of Mesa] is a wispy, delicate, dreamlike feature that showcases the beauty and heartache of summertime romance.”[10]

Sequel

A follow-up film was announced via the film's official Instagram and indie-film website The Fandomentals on May 27, 2021. The film is set to follow the titular character Mesa as she continues to navigate her sexual identity one summer after the events of the first film.[11]

In an interview with lesbian media company Lesflicks, filmmaker Josh Cox described the sequel as being unlike cliché romance films "where we’re trying to get two characters to get together," and rather a story about "[a] queer person just going through complex emotions and feelings and trying to move past them."[12]

References
  1. Darus, Alex (May 26, 2020). "Sandwich Filmmaker Releases Coming-of-Age Drama". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  2. Darus, Alex (May 18, 2020). "LGBT summer love story hits YouTube May 22". Wicked Local Wellfleet. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  3. Simonette, Matt (May 12, 2020). "Young gay filmmaker debuts LGBT romantic drama". Windy City Times. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. Briana-Gartner, Joanne (May 15, 2020). "Young Filmmaker Set To Release 'Summer Of Mesa'". CapeNews.net. Enterprise Newspapers. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  5. Sherman, Jeremiah (2020-05-27). "'Summer of Mesa' Introduces a New Auteurist Voice". The Fandomentals. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  6. "'Summer of Mesa'". Americana Pictures. May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  7. Casaus, Sara (June 16, 2020). "Celebrate Pride: All the Gayest 2020 Movies to Watch this Month". Film Daily.
  8. Messinger, Adam (June 25, 2020). "Queer movies to watch for Pride Month that aren't Love, Simon". Gay Community News.
  9. Hardison, Erika (June 24, 2020). "Movie Review – Summer of Mesa (2020)". Flickering Myth.
  10. Rector, Rob (June 24, 2020). "Summer of Mesa". Film Threat.
  11. Fandomentals, The (May 27, 2021). "Viral Indie LGBTQ+ Film 'Summer of Mesa' is Getting a Sequel". Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  12. Rakovic, Maia (June 23, 2021). "Interview With Josh Cox: SUMMER OF MESA Sequel, Filmmaker, and More". Lesflicks.
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