''Summer Solstice'' tells a story set in coastal

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, a reflective

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

tale starring George Fivas as Joshua Ballard, a brilliant but aimless and misunderstood college student who finds solace in composing music and writing. But when his anguished state of mind leads him to cross paths with contemplative lighthouse keeper Seth Arden ( Joe Estevez) and his niece Andrea Bettencourt (Brook Jenell Slack, voiced Jelly Otter in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's '' PB&J Otter'' from 1998 to 2000), the encounter leads Joshua to transcend a personal crisis through an odyssey of

self-discovery A "journey of self-discovery" refers to a travel, pilgrimage, or series of events whereby a person attempts to determine how they feel, personally, about spiritual issues or priorities,Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominee and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

winner

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portr ...

(''

Five Easy Pieces ''Five Easy Pieces'' is a 1970 American road drama film directed by Bob Rafelson, written by Rafelson and Carole Eastman (as Adrien Joyce), and starring Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Susan Anspach, Lois Smith, and Ralph Waite. The film tell ...

'' and ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...

'') plays a stern university professor. Joshua's college friends are played by

Lindsay Pulsipher Lindsay Pulsipher is an American actress. She has had several roles in film and television and is known for her series regular role as Rose Lawrence on A&E Network's ''The Beast (2009 TV series), The Beast'' (2009). She joined the third season of ...

(

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy Horror fiction, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball (screenwriter), Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels ...

'', A&E's ''

The Beast The Beast may refer to: Religion * The Beast (Revelation), one of three beasts described in the New Testament ''Book of Revelation'' Fictional characters * The Beast, imaginary monster in William Golding's novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954) * ...

'') and Nathan Rollins. The screenplay is based on a story by playwright, composer,

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

, and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

Jeffrey Gold. The film features the

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

Pemaquid Point Light The Pemaquid Point Light is a historic U.S. lighthouse located in Bristol, Lincoln County, Maine, at the tip of the Pemaquid Neck. History The lighthouse was commissioned in 1827 by President John Quincy Adams and built that year. Because of po ...

and surrounding coastal areas and towns of

and music by popular

native, Tim Janis (known for his numerous specials on the American

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the ...

). The film was directed by George Fivas, a published scientist and a founder of the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

group, Apollo.

Cast

* Joe Estevez as Seth Arden *

as Micki *

as Dr. Sally McDermott * Joshua S. Ray as Laureen's other boyfriend * Gia Pace as Mark's girlfriend * Tod Huntington as Party guest

Releases

After a limited theatrical release in 2005 (notably, during which time, the film played at the historic

Waldo Theatre The Waldo Theatre is a historic movie theater and performance venue at 916 Main Street in Waldoboro, Maine. Built in 1936 as a movie theater to a design by New York City architect Benjamin Schlanger, it was hailed at the time as one of the bes ...

located in the region featured in the film), Echelon Entertainment released the film on DVD, as of 2010, under the label: Singa Home Entertainment. It was later released by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in 2006. In 2010, it was officially selected for the newly expanding Columbia Gorge International Film Festival held in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

. Because it was the film's first screening in a film festival, it was considered a world premiere and won the Best World Premiere Excellence in Filmmaking Award.

Awards

Best World Premiere Excellence in Filmmaking Award, Columbia Gorge International Film Festival, Vancouver, Washington, USA, 2010

Historic crossroads

The

at Pemaquid Point, prominently featured in this film (

), is the lighthouse featured on the

State Quarter of 2003, and is a popular U.S.

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

among many artists and lighthouse enthusiasts.

Reviews

Critical and public reviews of this film seem to be generally positive, but have ranged across the board, from very negative to very positive to often mostly positive, but mixed. Some reviews have cited production shortfalls from apparent budget limitations and minor storytelling flaws, but have praised the film's sincere portrayals, heartfelt themes, scenic landscapes, and the beauty of Tim Janis' music.

References

External links

*
The official ''Summer Solstice'' website
{{Webarchive, url=https://archive.today/20120718161817/http://rsvpapollo.com/summersolstice.html , date=18 July 2012 2003 films 2003 romantic drama films American independent films American romantic drama films American coming-of-age films Films about suicide Films about writers Films about music and musicians Films about mathematics Films set in Maine Films shot in Maine Films shot in Utah American seafaring films Films about rebels Films set in lighthouses 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language romantic drama films