SPF-18
2017 · Directed by Alex Israel
Original language: English
- romance
- drama
The story
Eighteen-year-old Penny Cooper spent years pining for heartthrob surfer Johnny Sanders Jr. before his father’s tragic death brought them closer together. But now high school is over, and when mysterious country musician Ash Baker shows up on the beach, Penny is torn.
What it’s like
Sun-bleached and easygoing, with the glare of Malibu afternoons and the rhythm of surf sets forming the backdrop. The mood sits somewhere between summer-romance warmth and a slightly melancholy undertow, the feeling of a season ending and a town full of people who have not yet worked out what comes next. Coastal daylight, beach towns, and the hum of the ocean set the atmosphere more than any dramatic set pieces do. Its pacing is unhurried, leaning on quiet conversations, shared time on the sand, and the small shifts in how two people look at each other. The emotional register is tender and a little bittersweet, centred on a young woman caught between a familiar attachment and a new pull, and on the uncertainty of leaving childhood behind. Intensity is low: romantic tension and grief over a loss in the background, with no graphic violence and little that is frightening. It suits a lazy afternoon, a warm evening with the windows open, or a comfort watch for anyone drawn to coming-of-age romance under a bright sky. It is for viewers who enjoy beach-set love stories and gentle drama about growing up.
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