Upcoming Summer
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Upcoming Summer
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Upcoming Summer is a Chinese coming-of age drama about two high school seniors under pressure to pass college exams. A lie leads to a friendship and has unexpected consequences for both of them. Language includes "damn," "hell, "ass," and "crap." Teens drink beer and kiss. An angry father hits his son. A boy vomits after being attacked. A girl tries to drown herself. A school administration goes out of its way to humiliate two seniors for having a romantic relationship. In Chinese with English subtitles.
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What's the Story?
In UPCOMING SUMMER, Chen Chen (Zhang Zifeng) is a studious high school senior readying for her difficult college entrance exams. When she doesn't pass, she makes up a story at school that she's suffering the pains of a breakup of her secret relationship with classmate Zheng Yuxing (Wu Lei) to explain her poor performance. Both the school administration and her parents immediately act as if she's robbed a liquor store at gunpoint. The teacher humiliates both Chen and Yuxing in front of their classmates, warning of the dire consequences of allowing a personal life to interfere with schoolwork. The principal tells the pair they can no longer associate with each other and the school threatens to suspend or kick them out if they don't take their futures more seriously. When they have a private moment, Yuxing asks Chen why she made up such a crazy story -- the truth is, they were never a couple. She reveals that her home life is the problem and he shares that he skipped the exam entirely because he hasn't recovered from being dumped by an older woman. Chen and Yuxing become close friends and see each other through tough emotional times.
Is It Any Good?
Upcoming Summer is a beautifully made story about the deep feelings of two lovely teens as they face decisions about what to do with their lives. One has a crush on the other, while the other holds onto his love of the woman who left him. As they share the pain of unrequited love, they support each other. Together they try to learn how to be stronger and more resilient while remaining open to the possibility of love with the right person in the future.
The relationship between them is touching and complex, and the actors make it feel as if their difficult navigation of the grownup world is real. The story also reveals a tyrannical system that invades students' private lives. A somewhat shorter version would probably feel more involving.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how kids follow parents' examples. Do you think the dishonest actions of Chen's parents may have influenced Chen to tell a lie? Why or why not?
How did you feel about the school's aggressive actions regarding the private lives of its students? What does the movie suggest about the way the Chinese view the power of institutions? How does that contrast with the role of schools in other countries?
What does the movie say about the role of love in our lives?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 3, 2021
- Cast: Zhang Zifeng, Wu Lei, Hao Lei, Zu Feng, Liu Xiaohai, Zhou, Tie
- Director: Leste Chen
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 115 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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