🎬 Title: It’s a Summer Film! (サマーフィルムにのって)
Release Year: 2020 / Director: Sōshi Masumoto / Runtime: 97 min
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (My Rating: 4/5)
📝 Synopsis
It’s a Summer Film! tells the story of Barefoot, a high school girl obsessed with samurai movies, who decides to make her own indie film with her friends. Along the way, she meets a mysterious boy with a secret, and together they create a project that blends youthful passion, genre love, and the fleeting magic of summer.
🌟 Highlights
- Energetic homage to classic samurai cinema and youth culture
- Charming performances from the young cast, especially Marika Itō as Barefoot
- A heartfelt balance of comedy, romance, and film-within-a-film creativity
🌑 Lowlights
- Some narrative twists (especially the sci-fi elements) may feel jarring
- The pacing dips slightly in the middle section
- Requires familiarity with Japanese cinema tropes for full appreciation
🇯🇵 Cultural Footnotes
- The protagonist’s devotion to samurai films reflects Japan’s long tradition of jidaigeki and the generational divide in how youth engage with cultural heritage.
- The film’s playful mix of genres mirrors Japan’s history of youth cinema blending pop culture, romance, and social commentary.
- The title’s evocation of summer connects to the Japanese aesthetic of fleeting youth and natsukashii (nostalgia).
💭 Review
Director Sōshi Masumoto crafts a vibrant ode to cinephilia and adolescence. The film celebrates not only the joy of filmmaking but also the struggles of carving out a creative identity against mainstream expectations. While its sci-fi subplot risks overshadowing the simplicity of its coming-of-age core, the warmth and sincerity of Barefoot’s journey shine through. The result is both a love letter to Japanese cinema and a bittersweet reflection on youthful ambition.
⭐ Verdict
It’s a Summer Film! is a spirited, genre-bending coming-of-age story that resonates with anyone who has ever dreamed big under the summer sky. Playful, heartfelt, and unexpectedly profound.
🎥 Credits
- Cast: Marika Itō, Daichi Kaneko, Yuumi Kawai
- Director: Sōshi Masumoto
- Screenplay: Sōshi Masumoto, Ikuko Tsutsumi
Tags
It's a Summer Film, Japanese Cinema, Coming-of-Age, Youth Film, Samurai, Marika Itō, 2020