CBS Films
In the coming-of-age movie The Kings of Summer, Patrick’s (Gabriel Basso) parents are prickly hoverers. Joe’s (Nick Robinson) widowed dad Frank (Nick Offerman), on the other hand, is simply a prick. Throw a third kid into the mix – a scythe-carrying weirdo named Biaggio (Moises Arias) – and you have a trio of teens who need to get away from their heavily Lunar parental units. Even if it’s just for the summer, even if it’s in the woods, and even though the boys actually have to actually build a domicile.
The-grass-is-always-greener theme motivates The Kings of Summer’s youngsters to seek Utopia in Nature – a caring Moon Mother that allows them total freedom – as opposed to within the day-to-day rule-bound confines of their traditional home bases. The boys’ Neptunian idealism – which they’re convinced that rustic living-off-the-earth will transmute into reality – is played out as the youngsters create their personal forested haven. Its exact location is conveniently near a Boston Market: Neptune’s illusory energy engenders in the guys a fuzzy belief system that they are actually foraging.
But Neptune is also associated with what one can’t have. In this case, it’s Joe’s idealization of Kelly (Erin Moriarty) a girl he’s sweet on but whose feelings extend to his buddy. A wee-hours scene in which Kelly approaches the bed to reach out to Patrick – and Joe crumbles as he realizes he’s not her destination – is heartbreaking.
Suddenly there’s a snake in the grass violating the purity of their new surroundings and a close friendship comes close to ending. However, in a twist, the metaphoric reptile turns literal, offering Joe a chance to prove his maturity. A dialog between both fathers, which turns into a heartfelt reminiscence, is similarly rewarding.
At one point, Joe proclaims, “There’s no time in the woods,” a nod to Neptunian vibes that blur whatever it touches. In the end, the message behind Jordan Vogt-Robert’s The Kings of Summer is that the families we’re born aren’t necessarily capable of transcending their limitations. The food is better, though.
Astrology Film Rating: ☽♆ (Moon, Neptune)
