This Is My Summer (2016)

• 81%
• 2016
• Documentary
• Marinka de Jongh

Joep (18), Anouska (23) and Ciska (21) are on a supervised youth tour to Blanes, a party place on the Spanish coast. They all have a moderate intellectual disability and are excited about going on a holiday without their parents for the first time. Once in Spain, they experience a sense of freedom that they don't have at home. For the first time in his life Joep does a shot and, Ciska challenges herself to loosen up. They swim, sunbathe and dance. The relaxing and intimate setting brings on new emotions that they share openly with each other. Anouska, for instance, is very clear when she finds out Joep has a thing for her. But how does one handle all these mature feelings, when you know there are obvious limits to what you can and are allowed to do? This is My Summer is a humorous and sometimes confronting film by Marinka de Jongh about young people with a strong desire for independence.