Zomer

Colette Bothof : 2014
Summer

Anne is sixteen and lives in a remote village in southern Netherlands. A forgotten spot where the seemingly endless fields are dominated by the omnipresent power plant, where electricity cables criss-cross the sky and never stop humming. Anne's circle comprises her classmates and kids from the surrounding villages, all adolescents heading for adulthood. On weekdays they cycle to school through the fields into the wind. During the weekends they race along dike roads or go boating in the river. The mood is sultry as hormones churn around their bodies. Anne is a bit of an outsider and through her eyes we observe the young people whose lives are closely linked to hers. It's a small village and everyone is connected to everyone else. During this sweltering summer, Anne starts to feel lonely and detached until she meets Lena, who is new in town. Lena rides a motorbike and wears leather gear and is obviously different from everyone else. They meet at the fuel station where Anne works at the weekends. Anne quickly develops feelings for Lena, but they are feelings that she cannot fathom. However they are so intense that she can't turn and walk away from them either. Love unfolds in all its tender awkwardness. Things come to a head one evening when Anne and Lena leave the village disco together and head to the meadow. They are followed, mocked and insulted by the disco crowd. However, this only strengthens their love. Their burgeoning relationship is something Anne is not prepared to give up without a fight. A film about growing pains, about young people craving independence whilst also needing to fit in, and a young woman who dares to be different. Colette Bothof's feature premiered in competition at Nederlands Film Festival 2014, and screened at BFI Flare London 2015.