Haven’t heard of this movie? Neither had I, till last Wednesday when our professor screened it in our teen angst class. Starring Barbera Hershey and Richard Thomas (goodnight John-Boy. goodnight John-Boy’s mole.) it’s a coming of age tale about 4 teenagers (2 guys, 2 girls) on Fire Island one summer.It’s hard to say that I liked it, because it wasn’t plesant to watch. These teenagers, the original group of 3 are not likable people, and when their 4th friend comes along (Rhoda, played by Catherine Burns who was nominated for an Oscar for the role then promptly never seen again) it was a refreshing change of pace. I wanted Richard Thomas’s character (Peter) to fall in love with her, and for awhile thats where I thought it was going. Rhoda is an ugly duckling type and I’m a sucker for that kind of thing.The movie took a hard left turn in the last 10 minutes, and to me it didn’t seem like it was bulding in that direction at all. What happens is graphic and brutal (think Last House on the Left) and it ends with an existential stare out into the ocean. Very art film. Very disappointing.This movie isn’t out on dvd, but my professor managed to find a used copy on VHS. If you’re REALLY interested in the film, that’s your best bet. It’s a shame really. It’s a pretty good film.

Haven’t heard of this movie? Neither had I, till last Wednesday when our professor screened it in our teen angst class. Starring Barbera Hershey and Richard Thomas (goodnight John-Boy. goodnight John-Boy’s mole.) it’s a coming of age tale about 4 teenagers (2 guys, 2 girls) on Fire Island one summer.
It’s hard to say that I liked it, because it wasn’t plesant to watch. These teenagers, the original group of 3 are not likable people, and when their 4th friend comes along (Rhoda, played by Catherine Burns who was nominated for an Oscar for the role then promptly never seen again) it was a refreshing change of pace. I wanted Richard Thomas’s character (Peter) to fall in love with her, and for awhile thats where I thought it was going. Rhoda is an ugly duckling type and I’m a sucker for that kind of thing.
The movie took a hard left turn in the last 10 minutes, and to me it didn’t seem like it was bulding in that direction at all. What happens is graphic and brutal (think Last House on the Left) and it ends with an existential stare out into the ocean. Very art film. Very disappointing.
This movie isn’t out on dvd, but my professor managed to find a used copy on VHS. If you’re REALLY interested in the film, that’s your best bet. It’s a shame really. It’s a pretty good film.