Dylan Siegel

Early Summer is a narrative drama short film centered on the relationship between two 20-something New Yorkers, Luca (Matt Mitchell) and Jack (Jet Mendes). Their relationship maneuvers through the imaginary and the real, from loving boyfriends to rather estranged old friends. Luca struggles to come to terms with his feelings for Jack, and his lack of reciprocation.

The film focuses on the two distinct environments of real and imaginary. The first half of the film is spent is Luca’s dream state, on the orchard in upstate New York where he lives and works with his mother. The imaginary Jack, the boyfriend he’s longing for, lives there with him, and assists in his daily tasks of picking apples and organizing merchandise. The second half of the film takes place after a rude awakening – a phone call from the real Jack, inviting Luca to his father’s apartment in Manhattan – forces Luca to snap out of his fantasy and confront reality. Luca travels to the city to see his old friend, and makes him the person he comes out to. The reception is warm but any implied feelings are not returned – as Jack says: “Nothing changes.”

The film is shot on film and digital, with the film footage signifying Luca’s imaginary life with Jack and his home on the farm. The digital footage, then, is representative of the reality he struggles to come to terms with. Early Summer was written during a Screenwriting Independent Study with Professor Ruti Talmor. Cinematography is by fellow Pitzer senior Will Buckley. During Capstone, the filmmaker was advised by Professors Talmor, Ming-Yeun S. Ma, and James Morrison.