''Winter Spring Summer or Fall'' is a 2024 American

romantic drama film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

directed by Tiffany Paulsen from a screenplay by Dan Schoffer. It is produced by Josh Shader of Wall Fly,

Brad Krevoy Brad Krevoy is a film producer, entrepreneur, and founder and chairman/CEO of the Motion Picture Corporation of America. Over his 37-year career, Krevoy has been involved in the production and distribution of more than 250 film and television pr ...

Motion Picture Corporation of America Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA) is an American independent film production company, founded by Brad Krevoy and Steve Stabler in 1986, specializing in the production, acquisition and distribution of low-budget films. History MPCA ...

, and David M. Wulf. Starring

Jenna Ortega Jenna Marie Ortega (born September 27, 2002) is an American actress. She began her career as a child and received recognition for her role as a younger version of Jane Villanueva, Jane in The CW comedy-drama series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014� ...

and

Percy Hynes White Percy Hynes White (born October 8, 2001) is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in numerous television shows and films. His most notable appearances include '' Cast No Shadow'', '' Edge of Winter'', '' Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb'', ' ...

in leading roles, the story follows four segments in different seasons, showing two teenagers who fall in love over four days in a year. Filming took place in late-2022 in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

after about two years of development. Distributed by

Paramount Global Content Distribution Paramount Global Content Distribution is the international television distribution arm of American media conglomerate, Paramount Global, originally established in 1962 as the international distribution division of Desilu Productions. With the s ...

, the film had its world premiere at the

Tribeca Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

on June 6, 2024, and was released digitally on April 25, 2025.

Plot

One winter day, Barnes Hawthorne is smoking weed with his friend P.J. and sees Remi Aguilar across the street, who has just completed a Google Fellowship interview. Later, on his way to a concert in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, Barnes sees Remi again at the train station as she prepares to tour

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. They strike up a conversation on the train about future plans; Remi aspires to attend

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and become a lawyer like her parents, while Barnes plans an aimless gap year. Remi suggests some other things he can do with his time, like volunteering with sea turtles or working for a music group, while Barnes shows her a

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

playlist. When they reach their stop, Barnes asks Remi out on a date, but she is struck by a cyclist and needs stitches. At the hospital, Remi gently declines the date, explaining that he is not the kind of person she wants in her life at the moment, and they part ways. Months later, on the day of prom in spring, Remi's parents give her an unsolicited sex talk despite her resistance and hand her a few

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped Barrier contraception, barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a Sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condo ...

s just in case. Remi's date, Lucas, sees the condoms and assumes she intends to sleep with him, which she denies. Elsewhere, Barnes asks his mother if he can borrow the car to take his ex-girlfriend, Erica, to the prom. Remi unexpectedly reconnects with Barnes as their dates ditch them at the prom. Remembering Barnes' playlist, they dance to "

Burning Down the House "Burning Down the House" is a song by American rock band Talking Heads, released in July 1983 as the first single from their fifth studio album ''Speaking in Tongues''. Inspiration and composition "Burning Down the House" is a new wave, funk ...

". But when a slow song comes on, Barnes suggests they leave for

sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

. During the dinner, Barnes reveals fluency in Japanese, having grown up in Japan, where his mother worked as an Army medic. Afterward, he takes Remi to his house and, sensing her hesitation, reassures her that he does not expect anything physical. They smoke a

joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

Remi got from P.J. at the prom. Barnes admits he wanted to see Remi again, and he is considering volunteering with sea turtles in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, inspired by her suggestion. Remi reminds him she has to leave for Harvard in four months. Undeterred, the two kiss and decide to stay together for the summer. On a day in summer, Remi and Barnes, while drinking on P.J.'s roof, watch Remi's dad paint their house

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red col ...

in honor of Remi going to Harvard. Encouraged by Barnes, Remi, however, reveals to her parents that she has also been planning on volunteering in Costa Rica for months. Her parents react angrily, considering her future, and ground her. Instead, Remi brushes them off and leaves with Barnes to celebrate the

4th of July Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

at a lake house. There, Remi crashes P.J.'s jeep while

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

, and argues with Barnes that a gap year is not the right decision, ultimately ending their three-month-long relationship. In the fall, Remi is attending Harvard and working as a waitress as well. She sees on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

that Barnes is also in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and sends him a text. They catch up on campus and admit they miss each other, but agree that their breakup may have been for the best. Remi invites him to a Halloween party, but he has a concert that night, as he is an assistant at a record label and touring with a band. Encouraged by her friends, Remi crashes into the concert venue, confesses she still has feelings for Barnes, and asks if they can try again despite the challenges. Barnes gently declines, saying they are better off as friends. Remi respects his decision and leaves in tears. Later, the band also encourages Barnes to express his true feelings for her, after which he realizes his mistake in turning her down. The band helps Barnes by serenading Remi outside her dorm. Remi comes out, surprised, and the two share unspoken glances before reuniting with a kiss.

Cast

as Remi Aguilar *

as Barnes Hawthorne *

Marisol Nichols Marisol Nichols (born November 2, 1973) is an American actress and former volunteer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, known for her roles as Principal Ramirez on the Nickelodeon animated series ''The Loud House'' as well as Nadia Yassir o ...

as Carmen, Remi's mother * Elias Kacavas as P.J. *

Adam Rodriguez Adam Michael Rodriguez (born April 2, 1975)"Adam Rodriguez" (2006). ''Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television''. Vol. 71. Detroit: Gale. Accessed via ''Biography in Context'' database, August 7, 2016. is an American actor, screenwriter and ...

as Javier, Remi's father *

Jacqueline Emerson Jacqueline Bonnell Marteau Emerson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Foxface in the film ''The Hunger Games'' (2012). She is also known for starring as Skye in the film '' The Last Survivors'' (2014). She is a ...

as Robyn * Evangeline Barrosse as herself * Kate Rachesky as Wendy * Alexis Zollicoffer as Sheryl * Garet Allen as Dean * Larkin Bell as Saira * Corynn Treadwell as Ashley Middleton * Kylee Anderson as Erica Morris * Langi Tuifua as Connor Frisk *

Joey Miyashima Joseph Paul Miyashima (born November 18, 1957) is an American television and film actor. Early life Miyashima was born in Los Angeles to Japanese parents on November 18, 1957. Career Miyashima played Pee-wee Herman's Japanese pen pal, Oki Doki, ...

as Kenji * Wendy Joseph as Kate * Ahaise as Wade * Bridget Oberlin as Stevie, Barnes' mother * Terran Lowe as Lucas * B.Z. Collins as a

bouncer A bouncer (also known as a door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at licensed or sanctioned venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, strip clubs and casinos. A bouncer's duties are to provide security, to check legal ag ...

* Michael "Mike" Turner as a

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

* Cameron Foremaster as a

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

* Brianna Wendorf as a

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

* Mark Provencher as Mr. Provencher

Production

Devopment

After she had done ''

Holidate ''Holidate'' is a 2020 American romantic comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Tiffany Paulsen. It stars Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Jake Manley, Jessica Capshaw, Andrew Bachelor, Frances Fisher, Manish Dayal and Kristin Chenowe ...

'' in 2020, Tiffany Paulsen received an early version of the script by Dan Schoffer, through the co-producer Josh Shader. They collaborated to finalize the script, took inspirations by

Richard Linklater Richard Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making films that deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. In 2015, Linklater was included on the annual ''Time'' 100 li ...

's ''

Before Sunrise ''Before Sunrise'' is a 1995 Romance film, romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater and co-written by Linklater and Kim Krizan, and is the first installment in the Before trilogy, ''Before'' trilogy. In the film, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) an ...

'', and titled the project ''Winter Spring Summer or Fall''. Paulsen, originally a screenwriter, took the responsibility to direct her first film. Brad Krevoy and David M. Wulf also joined as co-producers.

Casting and filming

Paulsen cast Jenna Ortega just before the latter went on to film ''Wednesday'' in September 2021, or be known as "

Gen Z Generation Z (often shortened to Gen Z), also known as zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 20 ...

scream queen A scream queen (a wordplay on ''screen queen'') is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. Scream king is the equivalent for men. Notable scream queen examples include ...

". Reportedly, this has been Ortega's first romantic role and she has also served as an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

. Her primary choice had been

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

s and she has expressed of not liking the romantic genres. After about two years of

pre-production Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, video game, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the co ...

, the

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

, in October 2022, at Salt Lake City,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, with Percy Hynes White joining opposite Ortega in lead. Meanwhile, the cast was given a three-week break to cover promotional events for their then-upcoming series ''Wednesday'', which later became the second most-watched series on the platform. Over the time, Motion Picture Corporation of America revealed to the ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'' that Adam Rodriguez and Marisol Nichols were signed in as Ortega's character's parents. Before she had cast Hynes, the director wanted Kacavas in lead role, but he instead chose to play the lead pair's neighbor/friend. Evangeline Barrosse, an

indie music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by in ...

ian, was discovered and approached to perform her original songs in the film, which she accepted excitedly. The film is set in the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

and depicts one day each from four seasons;

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

, and

fall Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...

, so the set and the wardrobe had to be designed accordingly despite being filmed in winter season with limited sunny days. Gabriel Jessop and Alyson Hancey served as the

production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...

and

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costum ...

respectively. Paulsen also took

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

's formal permission to use song "Burning Down the House".

Post-production

After the filming

wrap Wrap, WRAP or Wrapped may refer to: Storage and preservation * Gift wrap or wrap paper, used to enclose a present * Overwrap, a wrapping of items in a package or a wrapping over packages * Plastic wrap, a thin, clear, flexible plastic used to co ...

ped up, the

post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...

phase started in January 2023, but the release was shelved. Graham Robbins served as the

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

, Simon Davidson as

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...

, and Michael "Mike" Turner as the

music supervisor A music supervisor is a person who combines music and visual media. According to the Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video game ...

, while

Zac Rae Zac Rae is an American musician, best known as the keyboardist, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he has recorded two studio albums and two EPs. Rae is a former member of Alanis Morissette's ...

has composed the

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

Music

The soundtrack album was released by

Lakeshore Records Lakeshore Village Entertainment, LLC was an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum. Lakeshore Entertainment is headquartered in Bev ...

via

music streaming service A music streaming service is a type of online streaming media service that focuses primarily on music, and sometimes other forms of digital audio content such as podcasts. These services are usually subscription-based services allowing users to s ...

s on April 25, 2025. The tracks 1–4 are songs by Evangeline, while tracks 5–19 are score by Zac Rae.

Release

The film premiered at the 23rd

on June 6, 2024. It was released as

premium video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting ...

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

on April 25, 2025, and also had a limited theatrical release.

Reception

Lovia Gyarkye praised the director while writing for ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', saying that she has an "intuitive sense" of making one blush by capturing close-ups of "the longing gazes" and "subtle touches" between the lead pair. Belen Edwards commented for

Mashable Mashable is a Online newspaper, news website, digital media platform and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2004. Early iterations o ...

that this "''Wednesday'' reunion is anything but charming" as their "romance feels more like horror". Writing for Next Best Picture, Lauren LaMagna praised it as a "unique coming-of-age story", which is both "heartwarming and heartbreaking" and "captures the essence of first love". Will Bjarnar commented for InSession Film that the film "is hardly ever convincing, let alone natural". For ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

'', Jesse Hassenger called it "more than a little cheap-looking" movie, which is "full of heartfelt contrivances".

Notes

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 24515124 American romantic drama films 2020s English-language films 2024 romantic drama films 2020s American films English-language romantic drama films Films shot in Salt Lake City American coming-of-age drama films American teen drama films American teen romance films 2020s coming-of-age drama films Coming-of-age romance films 2020s teen romance films English-language teen drama films 2025 directorial debut films Republic Pictures films Winter in culture Films set on trains Films about road accidents and incidents Spring (season) in culture Films about proms Summer in culture Independence Day (United States) films Works about driving under the influence Autumn in culture American films about Halloween Films set in Harvard University