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My First Summer (2020)

★★ — My First Summer (2020)

My First Summer is a low-budget Australian queer coming-of-age film, produced by the small independent outfit Noise & Light and shot on location in regional Victoria. It marks the feature debut of writer-director Katie Found, who had previously worked in short-form fiction, and the film's modest scale (a minimal cast, a single rural property as its primary setting) reflects both budgetary necessity and a deliberate intimacy of approach. It arrives during a notably productive period for Australian independent queer cinema, sitting alongside titles like Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) from the same year. Lead actress Markella Kavenagh had already gained wider recognition through her role in Amazon's The Rings of Power, though this was shot prior to that profile-raising work.

My First Summer (2020) is a film of beautiful surfaces and baffling depths, or rather, a lack thereof. The Australian bush has rarely looked more luminous on screen: golden light filtering through gum trees, misty mornings by the lake, intimate close-ups that capture every freckle and hesitant glance. The soundtrack swells with delicate restraint, and there's no denying the visual poetry director Katie Found brings to this isolated coming-of-age tale. On a purely aesthetic level, it's easy to admire. But aesthetics can't compensate for a plot that strains credulity at every turn. A teenage girl witnesses a suicide, meets the deceased's daughter (who has apparently lived in total seclusion, unknown to neighbours, authorities, or basic human logistics) and within hours they're sharing baths, meals, and whispered secrets like old friends. The emotion feels fundamentally misaligned: this is a girl who has just witnessed her mother's suicide, yet her reactions range from mildly curious to casually affectionate toward a complete stranger. The film replaces silence for depth, awkwardness for authenticity, and isolation for intimacy. What should be a haunting exploration of grief and connection instead feels emotionally weightless. The actresses do a good job, but ultimately the plot and the writing is abysmally poor. A visually lovely but narratively unconvincing drama that mistakes atmosphere for substance. The intentions are tender, the execution fatally off-key.

Rating: ★★ | Year: 2020 | Watched: 2026-04-05

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Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Sky Go · BFI Player · BFI Player Amazon Channel · Now TV Cinema
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Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK

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Where to watch (UK)

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

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