Summer Solstice (2003 film)
Encyclopedia
Summer Solstice tells a story set in coastal Maine
, a reflective coming-of-age
tale starring George Fivas
as Joshua Ballard, a brilliant but aimless and misunderstood college student who finds solace in composing music and writing. But when his anguished state of mind leads him to cross paths with contemplative lighthouse keeper Seth Arden (Joe Estevez
) and his niece Andrea Bettencourt (Brook Jenell Slack, voiced Jelly Otter in Disney's PB&J Otter
from 1998–2000), the encounter leads Joshua to transcend a personal crisis through an odyssey of self-discovery, and accept the compassion of his friends, old and new, which ultimately saves his life. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Karen Black
(Five Easy Pieces
and The Great Gatsby
) plays a stern university professor. Joshua's college friends are played by Lindsay Pulsipher
(HBO's True Blood
, A&E
's The Beast
) and Nathan Rollins. The screenplay is based on a story by playwright, composer, physicist
, and mathematician
Jeffrey Gold
. The film features the lighthouse
Pemaquid Point Light
and surrounding coastal areas and towns of Maine
and music by popular Maine
native, Tim Janis
(known for his numerous specials on the American Public Broadcasting Service
). The film was directed by George Fivas
, a published scientist and a founder of the jazz
and popular music
group, Apollo.
located in the region featured in the film), Echelon Entertainment released the film on DVD, as of 2010, under the label: Singa Home Entertainment. It was later released by Netflix
in 2006. In 2010, it was officially selected for the newly expanding Columbia Gorge International Film Festival held in Vancouver, Washington
. Because it was the film's first screening in a film festival, it was considered a world premiere and won the Best World Premiere Excellence in Filmmaking Award.
at Pemaquid Point, prominently featured in this film (Pemaquid Point Light
), is the lighthouse featured on the Maine
State Quarter of 2003, and is a popular U.S. National Historic Landmark
among many artists and lighthouse enthusiasts.
' music.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, a reflective coming-of-age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
tale starring George Fivas
George Fivas
George Peter Fivas II is an American film producer, music producer, director, and actor living in Los Angeles. He is one of the founding organizers of the jazz and popular music group, Apollo...
as Joshua Ballard, a brilliant but aimless and misunderstood college student who finds solace in composing music and writing. But when his anguished state of mind leads him to cross paths with contemplative lighthouse keeper Seth Arden (Joe Estevez
Joe Estevez
Joseph "Joe" Estevez is an American actor, director, and producer.He is the younger brother of actor Martin Sheen and the uncle of Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Renée Estevez, and Ramon Estevez.-Early life:...
) and his niece Andrea Bettencourt (Brook Jenell Slack, voiced Jelly Otter in Disney's PB&J Otter
PB&J Otter
PB&J Otter is an animated children's series which premiered on Playhouse Disney on March 15, 1998. A total of 65 episodes were produced during the course of its three season run, with the "farewell" episode airing on September 24, 2000. The series centered on the Otter family who lived in the rural...
from 1998–2000), the encounter leads Joshua to transcend a personal crisis through an odyssey of self-discovery, and accept the compassion of his friends, old and new, which ultimately saves his life. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Karen Black
Karen Black
Karen Black is an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She is noted for appearing in such films as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Great Gatsby, Rhinoceros, The Day of the Locust, Nashville, Airport 1975, and Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot...
(Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces is a 1970 American drama film written by Carole Eastman and Bob Rafelson, and directed by Rafelson. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, and Susan Anspach. The cast also includes Billy 'Green' Bush, Fannie Flagg, Ralph Waite, Sally Struthers, Lois Smith, Toni Basil, and...
and The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby (1974 film)
The Great Gatsby is a 1974 romantic drama film distributed by Newdon Productions and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Jack Clayton and produced by David Merrick, from a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola based on F...
) plays a stern university professor. Joshua's college friends are played by Lindsay Pulsipher
Lindsay Pulsipher
Lindsay Pulsipher is an American actress. She has had several roles in film and television, and is known for her recurring role as Rose Lawrence on A&E Network's The Beast...
(HBO's True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
, A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
's The Beast
The Beast (2009 TV series)
The Beast is an American crime drama series starring Patrick Swayze and Travis Fimmel. It debuted on the A&E Network on Thursday, 15 January 2009 at 10 PM EST. On June 15, 2009, Entertainment Tonight announced that the show was canceled due to Swayze's pancreatic cancer...
) and Nathan Rollins. The screenplay is based on a story by playwright, composer, physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, and mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
Jeffrey Gold
Jeffrey Gold
Jeffrey Frederick Gold is an American filmmaker, film producer, playwright, and film composer educated as a physicist and mathematician at the United States Naval Academy, the University of Utah, and the University of Cambridge, England.- Science :Jeffrey Gold attended the U.S...
. The film features the lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
Pemaquid Point Light
Pemaquid Point Light
The Pemaquid Point Light Station is a historic U.S. lighthouse located in Bristol, Maine, at the tip of the Pemaquid Peninsula.-History:...
and surrounding coastal areas and towns of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and music by popular Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
native, Tim Janis
Tim Janis
Tim Janis is an American composer with 10 Billboard charting CDs, over one million albums sold, four National Public Television Specials, and a constant touring presence.-Career:...
(known for his numerous specials on the American Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
). The film was directed by George Fivas
George Fivas
George Peter Fivas II is an American film producer, music producer, director, and actor living in Los Angeles. He is one of the founding organizers of the jazz and popular music group, Apollo...
, a published scientist and a founder of the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
group, Apollo.
Releases
After a limited theatrical release in 2005 (notably, during which time, the film played at the historic Waldo TheatreWaldo Theatre
The Waldo Theatre is a historic building in Waldoboro, Maine. Designed by Benjamin Schlanger, it opened in 1937.- External links :*...
located in the region featured in the film), Echelon Entertainment released the film on DVD, as of 2010, under the label: Singa Home Entertainment. It was later released by Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
in 2006. In 2010, it was officially selected for the newly expanding Columbia Gorge International Film Festival held in Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
. Because it was the film's first screening in a film festival, it was considered a world premiere and won the Best World Premiere Excellence in Filmmaking Award.
Awards
Best World Premiere Excellence in Filmmaking Award, Columbia Gorge International Film Festival, Vancouver, Washington, USA, 2010Historic crossroads
The lighthouseLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at Pemaquid Point, prominently featured in this film (Pemaquid Point Light
Pemaquid Point Light
The Pemaquid Point Light Station is a historic U.S. lighthouse located in Bristol, Maine, at the tip of the Pemaquid Peninsula.-History:...
), is the lighthouse featured on the Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
State Quarter of 2003, and is a popular U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
among many artists and lighthouse enthusiasts.
Reviews
Critical and public reviews of this film seem to be generally positive, but have ranged across the board, from very negative to very positive to often mostly positive, but mixed. Some reviews have cited production shortfalls from apparent budget limitations and minor storytelling flaws, but have praised the film's sincere portrayals, heartfelt themes, scenic landscapes, and the beauty of Tim JanisTim Janis
Tim Janis is an American composer with 10 Billboard charting CDs, over one million albums sold, four National Public Television Specials, and a constant touring presence.-Career:...
' music.