Adolescents Experiencing Unforgettable Summers: Get Your Reps In

This week, the theme is coming-of-age under the sun.

While local rep theaters are out of commission, we'll be putting together weekly watchlists of films readily available to stream. This week, the theme is coming-of-age under the sun—each film centers on adolescents who experience unforgettable summers that alter the course of their lives, for better or worse.
Skate Kitchen (2018)

The inspiration for the new critically acclaimed HBO series Betty, Crystal Moselle's coming-of-age drama focuses on a teen girl who joins an all-female skateboarding collective called "Skate Kitchen" one summer in New York City. Together, the rebellious girls curate a safe space to find a reprieve from the male-dominated boarding culture. Amazon Prime, Google Play, Hulu, Vudu, YouTube.


Dirty Dancing (1987)

One hot summer in the Catskills, a repressed 17-year-old girl (Jennifer Grey) falls hard and fast for dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). As he trains her for her first performance, their undeniable chemistry and alluring choreography stokes a forbidden romance. Amazon Prime, Google Play, Hulu, iTunes, Sling TV, Vudu, YouTube.


Claire's Knee (1970)

The fifth entry in French auteur Éric Rohmer's loose Six Moral Tales series follows a diplomat on holiday at Lake Annecy, where he's tempted by the landlady's daughters—despite the fact that he's about to be wed. Oh, and they're teens. Dialogue-driven and sumptuously filmed, this romantic drama tackles a taboo subject with a rare elegance. Criterion Channel.

The Florida Project (2017)

In Sean Baker's slice-of-life drama, 6-year-old Moonee (Brooklyn Prince) and her unstable mother live a life of poverty in a shabby motel in Kissimmee, Fla. To cope, Moonee and her friends cause mischief as they fantasize about escaping to nearby Disney World. Willem Dafoe earned an Oscar nomination for his role as the paternal motel manager, which he should've won. Amazon Prime, Google Play, Kanopy, Netflix, Vudu, YouTube.


George Washington (2000)

Set over the course of one fateful summer in rural North Carolina, a group of working-class Black tweens' lives are disrupted when they're forced to work together to cover up a tragic mistake. The film is a harrowing reflection on guilt, grief, redemption, and the brutal weight of an unwieldy secret. Amazon Prime, Criterion Channel, iTunes.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.