Leah Donato is a writer and an aspiring screenwriter currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Leah has had an incredibly gigantic passion for film and writing stories since she was a little girl, and she always looks for opportunities to share her love of film with everyone she comes across. Through this, Leah hopes to achieve a sense of connectivity amongst the people around her with the stories she loves and the stories she writes. She wants the work she puts out to the world to be meaningful and provide a sense of comfort, which is what led her to TheHollywood Insider; a media network where she can have a space to share her thoughts and views on the artistic cultural world with a purpose whilst being true to herself and spreading positivity to create a more progressive mindset. When not writing, Leah spends the rest of her spare time watching movies and consuming multiple different types of media such as music and video games.
May 23, 2022
Table of Contents
Photo: ‘Call Me By Your Name’
It’s no easy feat to replicate a familiar emotion to audiences; especially when that emotion pertains to something so individualistic. If you’re a fan of media, you are more than likely intimate with the fact that films and music achieve such an impeccable talent of striking audiences’ heartstrings one way or another. More specifically, in the case of this article, when that talent emulates the sense of feeling that is tied to one of the warmest and most nostalgic seasons of all: summer.
With summer fast approaching, we are all now starting to turn to our dearly beloved sunny media as a way to get ourselves into the groove of the emotional and physical heat that we’ll soon experience. The sunlight that beams on our heads brings about utmost serotonin, and it replenishes us and makes us feel whole after the long rather cold months that lay ahead before-–inspiring and uplifting creative minds alike.
But, on the other hand, summer is also a time for becoming someone new in some regard; whether that be taking up a new hobby or meeting new people, a newfound sense of addition (or reformation) to one’s identity becomes prevalent. And, even though this is an entirely individual experience, we can all admit that we’d like at least someone or something to make us feel less alone in our three-month self-discovery excursion.
Luckily for us, no matter your interests or the type of intuitive discovery journey that you’re on, there is one form of media that gives an outlook on the journeys that others can go through during these hot months: films centered (or take place) during the summer.
Summer Movies – A Simple Sunny, Cinematic Path Taken
Besides simply giving us a well-deserved break when summer rolls around, watching films that center (or take place) during the summer season does a whole world of more good and being beneficial than anything else–at least, in my humble opinion. They’re excellent at how they achieve a stimulating experience and incorporate such an effortless and incredible season for all of us. Ultimately, the feeling of nostalgia and well-deserved time off shines brightly in these kinds of films.
In all honesty, there are truly mass amounts of films that take place during the summer; so much so that it’s nearly hard to keep count. But, with this said, it feels as though to fully talk about these types of films (and give them just the right amount of justice) we should discuss them in two separate categories–one revolving around the simple fun of summer, and the other centered around the previously mentioned element of finding one’s new aspect of their self-identity. Now, let’s go on with the show and begin with movies that revolve around the memorable and pleasureful time of the all-too-familiar sunny summer.
These types of films are plain and simple in an utmost magical way. They bring about a sense of joy that just brings a wide grin to your face and inspires you to go out and spend some quality time with your loved ones. The excitement of freedom and (quite literally) having fun in the sun contained in these movies is one of the main reasons why they feel so reminiscent to watch as well. Since we’ve been kids, summer has always had a rather positive cognition to it; and it is with these films that that cognition remains strong as it always was from the very start.
As I mentioned before, on the other side of this summer-centric content lies ahead films that utilize the summer season as a means to add more to the characters’ senses of identity; further figuring out who they will soon become. This section will be a tad bit shorter than the first, since these movies utterly hold more weight and meaning to them the less that they’re discussed and the more that they are personally experienced.
While summer gives us a break from everything (school, classes, more opportunities to take vacations, etc.) the season is also a perfect chance for self-reflection. Examples of films that replicate this element of summer include classics such as the ‘Before Sunrise’ Trilogy, ‘(500) Days of Summer’, and ‘Call Me By Your Name’. On the other hand, some films have a deeper underlying sense of self-reflection and identity, such as ‘Do The Right Thing’ and ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. These types of films also don’t have to center around American culture as well, with films like ‘Persona’ and ‘The Green Ray’ being foreign films that center around this familiar message and concept of finding more to add to your identity during summer.
These identity-centered films can make us as audiences feel all the less alone as a whole; as we have the insight and knowledge that growth can come at all points in our lives and that it will make us stronger in the long run.
Watching summer-centric films can make all those late, hot nights feel all the less lonely and more comforting. Lasting three months, it can be hard to pick out how to fully spend your time during the season to the best of your ability; and in a way that it won’t feel like you missed out on anything as well. Cinema is always an amazing outlet, and implementing the element of summer is an impeccable way of conveying a story fantastically.
Overall, these types of films are comforting and bring a fuzzy feeling to all of us; no matter if the content is entirely relatable or not, we feel empathetic about how summer positivity impacts us. The nostalgia and kid-like joy we find ourselves experiencing when we watch these films is something that should never be forgotten.
I hope that this article has helped you to expand your internal library of what you should watch next in the realm of films over this year’s summer. These past two summers have been a weird time for all of us; but, things can feel just a bit back to normal when we put ourselves back into that lovely and well-acquainted world of summer-centric Cinema.
By Leah Donato
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV. media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Leah Donato is a writer and an aspiring screenwriter currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Leah has had an incredibly gigantic passion for film and writing stories since she was a little girl, and she always looks for opportunities to share her love of film with everyone she comes across. Through this, Leah hopes to achieve a sense of connectivity amongst the people around her with the stories she loves and the stories she writes. She wants the work she puts out to the world to be meaningful and provide a sense of comfort, which is what led her to TheHollywood Insider; a media network where she can have a space to share her thoughts and views on the artistic cultural world with a purpose whilst being true to herself and spreading positivity to create a more progressive mindset. When not writing, Leah spends the rest of her spare time watching movies and consuming multiple different types of media such as music and video games.
Leah Donato is a writer and an aspiring screenwriter currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Leah has had an incredibly gigantic passion for film and writing stories since she was a little girl, and she always looks for opportunities to share her love of film with everyone she comes across. Through this, Leah hopes to achieve a sense of connectivity amongst the people around her with the stories she loves and the stories she writes. She wants the work she puts out to the world to be meaningful and provide a sense of comfort, which is what led her to TheHollywood Insider; a media network where she can have a space to share her thoughts and views on the artistic cultural world with a purpose whilst being true to herself and spreading positivity to create a more progressive mindset. When not writing, Leah spends the rest of her spare time watching movies and consuming multiple different types of media such as music and video games.
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