Queerguru’s Ris Fatah reviews SUMMER SOLSTICE : a story of non-binary unrequited love

Leo (Bobbi Salvör Menuez) is a twenty-something softly-spoken actor, living a quiet, happy-go-lucky life in Brooklyn NY. He’s single but has a regular fuck-buddy – fellow actor Alice (Monica Sanborn) who is in and out of his life. He’d like to have a deeper romantic relationship with her but that’s not happening.

His best friend from college, carefree teacher/photographer Eleanor (Marianne Rendón) invites him up to a friend’s holiday home in NY’s Hudson Valley for a weekend and the two spend the weekend hiking, shopping and drinking. They reminisce about old times, their careers and their current love lives. Leo is a trans man and Eleanor is a cis-woman and they’ve known each other since before Leo transitioned. Leo identifies as queer and Eleanor, although mostly straight, is also up for some experimentation. Over the weekend they bump into, and hang out with, one of Leo’s college alumni, fellow queer trans-man actor Oliver (Mila Myles) and his bisexual friend Joe (Yaron Lotan).

Written and directed by queer, non-binary film-maker Noah Schamus, Summer Solstice is based on their own experiences of the shifting dynamics of friendships post-coming out. It’s also an interesting analysis of unrequited love and how college friendships mature once we are in our late twenties. This film is both refreshing and mature in that the queer trans narrative threads throughout the film, but doesn’t dominate. The likable characters have the right balance of confidence and self-doubt true to most twenty-somethings. Strong casting means all the performances are great – in particular a very funny bad sex scene. This is a gentle, slow-paced film with beautiful cinematography, mellow lighting, strong art direction, and a sweet soundtrack by Margaux. It feels like the calm after the storm, given the current mainstream media overdrive into trans lives.