The Kings of Summer

I’m writing about the movie I saw recently by the name of  “The Kings Of Summer.” This is the story of three teenage boys Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio, who are done living with their parents and all their rules, so they decide to build a house for themselves out in the woods. I found this movie to be very special because it relates to almost every teenage boy who hates living a life with rules and just wants to be with his friends.

The movie begins with a depressed, recently widowed Frank being harsh and judgmental with his son Joe, the main character. Joe sneaks out one night to go to a party to see a girl he has a huge crush on. The residents get mad at the teenagers for having a very loud party in a public space. One of the neighbors starts shooting a gun in the air, threatening the teens.

Joe and Biaggio, a kid Joe met at the party, run as fast as they can into the woods and find a clearing, which is very beautiful and magical. Joe then convinces his best friend Patrick, who is also struggling with his parents, to come with Joe and Biaggio to run away and build a house in the clearing that Joe and Biaggio found. There, the three boys agree that in this place there will be “no parents, no one telling us what to do; we make the rules!”

At the newly built house, these three boys are truly kings of their summer as they swear to “boil our own water, kill our own food, build our own shelter, and be our own men.” But beneath these rules there are unwritten rules that would soon be broken when Joe invites his crush to come to the house in the woods. Even though the boys start out as friends and end as friends, on the way they learn the power of trust between friends and what it means to lose it. 

My favorite character in the film by far is Biaggio. His awkwardness and weirdness provides the main comedic relief to the film. “The Kings Of Summer” is one of my favorite movies of all time. This movie reminds me of going into the woods in Maryland and building forts with my best friend Johnny, and the feeling of being free and having no restrictions. Whether we escape to the woods, or stay at home, we need to figure out how to have good relationships with our friends and our families. This film inspires me to do that.