The latest work from comedy writer duo the Boukherma brothers, is a poignant drama. After writing their own screenplays, the duo has adapted a coming-of-age film from the novel by Nicolas Mathieu, who won the Goncourt Prize. Despite this change in source material, they still focus on marginalized characters, setting the story in an economically depressed town in northeastern France. The film unfolds as a summer tale set in 1992 and revisited every two years, revolving around 15-year-old Anthony, his first love Steph, and the lives of their family and friends, all of which leave a deep emotional impact. We wonder what will happen to the boy who dreams of going to Texas and the girl who hopes to settle in Paris. The constraints imposed by class and environment are no different in advanced societies. Like the chapters of the original novel, titled after songs, the film features an impressive soundtrack. While the kids are obsessed with Red Hot Chili Peppers, the sunlit beach doesn’t quite suit them. What they really needed is Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive.’ (LEE Yong Cheol)