Joe Toy (Nick Robinson), on the verge of adulthood, finds himself increasingly frustrated by the attempts of his single father, Frank (Nick Offerman), to manage his life. Declaring his freedom once and for all, he escapes to a clearing in the woods with his best friend, Patrick (Gabriel Basso), and a strange kid named Biaggio (Moises Arias). Heannounces that they are going to build a house there, free from responsibility and parents. Once their makeshift abode is finished, the three young men find themselves masters of their own destiny, alone in the woods. Several weeks pass and Patrick and Joe are reported missing and appear on multiple news channels.
The film begins with the young men creating a percussive rhythm with sticks against a large, rusty pipe that cuts through the forest, while Biaggio dances on it with serioso. It is a slice of a life the three have created for themselves and one of the most profound images of the freedom and fun they experience. The most pleasant aspect of The Kings of Summer is how well it bucks the formulaic while maintaining its own rhythmic pacing. The film captures the effervescence of the woods through slow motion and light diffraction, while contrasting it with the clumsy disposition of three teenage males struggling with puberty and attempting to enjoy the freedom in nature. There is a definitive scene where the boys play Monopoly with their guests in their makeshift home. The contrasting nature of a board game about acquiring all the money and real estate, under the roof of an improvised home to escape the comforts of suburbia, is the summation of the natural binary oppositions in life: living or making a living. The Kings of Summer, we witness three young men learning that comfort and freedom are not inclusive, but traits earned after a hard day's work and tolerating the hell of the presence and desires of other people.
- Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
- Writer: Chris Galletta
- Stars: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias.