Summer of Hope (2018)

Summer of Hope", written by Ali Dash and Directed by Robbie Soto, is a feature film that takes place in the 1970s during the summer after Lucy's (Ali Dash) Senior Year of High School. Raised by her alcoholic and abusive father (Ryan Thomas), Lucy is very unsure of herself. She deals with many of insecurities within herself that will unfold throughout the film as she begins to discover who she is. Her boyfriend Jake (Brian C. Chenworth) has been a best friend to Lucy since they were five years old. Even though she cares dearly for Jake, deep down she knows that there is something missing and that she loves him in a different way. During the summer, Lucy meets Hope (Anna Cameron), who is spontaneous and full of life. Hope lost both of her parents as a child and grew up in foster care. Despite her rough upbringing, Hope is a very positive character and unlike Lucy, she knows exactly who she is. Hope, who is a lesbian, is proud of who she is and never lets any unwanted judgment affect her. "I choose to be me and I choose to be happy" is one the lines she states. The two immediately form a friendship and as the summer continues that friendship turns into love. Lucy learns many things that summer but most importantly, she learns what it means to be herself and what it means to be happy