In an increasingly gentrified LA, one question gets more and more difficult to answer: How do you find a good burger at a decent price? A poetry-infused valentine to Los Angeles in all its queer and BIPOC glory, director Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting) delights with this sophomore effort. Day turns to night as the camera drifts from one character to the next, introducing aspiring rappers, Korean cooks, scooter-riding podcasters, and a bongo-playing therapist. This is a film whose characters ride the bus and whose camera turns the low-rise sprawl into a backdrop of surprising beauty.

Slam poetry-style recitations erupt into the film like musical numbers, and the musical motif continues in a film full of coincidences, sudden ascents to fame, and sweet revenge. Stylish and heartfelt, Summertime is a collective portrait of youth precipitating themselves into the messy drama of adult life. “After years of collecting reasons to leave, the door is open,” goes the gorgeously understated “Home.” Watch the next generation step outside.

NATIONAL PARTNERS: Ruth Ellis Center, Hudson Pride Center