By Rachel Galvin
Living is not always easy, it seems, in the Los Angeles portrayed by the poetic musical “Summertime,” directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada. The characters are as diverse and vibrant as the painted walls all around the City of Angels. Each person in this tale has their own fragility and own strength. They each struggle to find their voice and use their words to exert their power, to say “I am here” and “I matter,” and that people will miss them when they are gone, whether their words were welcomed or not. Everyone has a pocket full of dreams trying to find their moment to fly, but some discover that gaining that fame may not be what it is all cracked up to be. Sometimes, living the simple life is the way to go, no matter the chaos that ensues.
The film meanders through people’s existences giving a glimpse and then moving on … almost like a stream of consciousness, or being a fly on the wall buzzing from situation to situation. Within the film, many topics are pursued, including the pursuit of fame, looking for love, standing strong in your identity, fighting back against bullying, coming to common ground, finding your family, growing up and fighting against status quo to pursue your dreams.
This film is unique in that the characters, which are all woven together in unexpected ways, tell their story through spoken word primarily, as well as a little song and dance, interspersed with dialogue. The result is an inspired piece of art that is hard to let free from your grasp. You want to hold onto it and see where it leads you next.
The spoken word artists/ actors do a great job showing vulnerability, pride, greed, stress, longing, fear, sadness, joy, indignation, solidarity, power, love and much more.
The film will be show at O Cinema in Miami and Regal Winter Park Village in Orlando on July 16 and the Tampa Theater on July 30 in Florida. It debuted July 9 in New York and LA. For more information, visit https://gooddeedentertainment.com/Summertime.
