Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Turkish coming-of-age tale has language, sex, drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Last Summer
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Deniz is traveling with his family to their summer home on the coast of Turkey at the start of LAST SUMMER. A 16, he's grown up and has also lost a lot of weight since previous summers, giving him a shot at last at his childhood crush, Asli, the best friend of his sister Ebru. Asli is drawn to Deniz's kindness and loyalty, and she includes him on the older kids' outings, but she also seems to still view him as a kid and she flirts with older boys too. As the group of teens await their exam results that will decide their entrance into the college of their choice, they party and enjoy their last youthful summer.
Is It Any Good?
Not every teen romance catches the blend of exuberance and awkwardness of youth with as much as authenticity as this film. Set in Turkey, Last Summer watches its characters experiment with alcohol and sex without judging them for it. When they come to a new level of maturity at the end of summer, we believe it. The film shows this innocence and growth in ways both obvious -- siblings forgoing a final night of partying for a last family dinner -- and symbolic, like Deniz stripping off a scab once and for all. The lead actors, particularly those playing Deniz and Asli, are totally credible as teens figuring out who they are. In one perceptive scene, they both say their only wish for when they grow up is to not be like their parents.
Deniz's mindless habit of stacking random items he finds and balancing them on each other feels symbolic as well of his figuring out what he can and cannot control in life. When their dad offers his middle-aged wisdom that there is "always something to discover" as you grow up, it feels like a summary of the story being told here. The teen years are indeed full of angst and mischief, but they mostly end happily. It could be lost on non-local audiences why the film is set in 1997 because the story feels relevant and contemporary, minus cell phones, and the seaside summer setting is both beautiful and a perfect backdrop for this coming-of-age tale of freedom and growth.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the film's name in English, Last Summer. In what ways is this summer a "last" for the characters?
The film is set in 1997. What does this time period offer that a more contemporary time period might not?
Have you seen any other films set in Turkey? Could the film be set elsewhere without a lot of changes? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : July 9, 2021
- Cast : Ece Çeşmioğlu , Fatih Şahin , Halit Özgür Sarı
- Director : Ozan Aciktan
- Inclusion Information : Middle Eastern/North African Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Run time : 101 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : December 4, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate