Palm Springs Shortfest: ‘July.’ Is a Sun-Drenched Morality Tale

“Who runs away when things go bad?” is a powerful line that sticks out towards the end of Mauritz Brekke Solberg’s July. (Joli.).

When you meet up with friends you haven’t seen for a few years, time seems to stand still. Tarjei reunites with his high school friends Alan, Eline, and Aina for a relaxing, adventurous day in the woods. They smoke weed, play childish games, and dare one another to do things that one probably shouldn’t engage in. It’s that time between adolescence and real adulthood where jobs and careers still seem unimaginable but you know you definitely aren’t a kid anymore.

Every friend group knew of a house that you stayed away from. Whether the residents were grouchy or not, some circles create neighborhood folklore about someone who lives alone in a house in the woods. When the group remembers the town “witch,” a prank spirals out of control, and the foursome is faced with potential real-life consequences. If you did something that could change your life, would you be able to step over that line and face the consequences?

Solberg’s film is peaceful and serene until questions between the group threaten that peace. He shoots the outdoors like a final paradise before these four go their separate ways. We can almost feel the breeze through the trees and the heat from the sun. The four actors are very natural and comfortable with one another that convinces you of the life-long bond they all share.

This could be this group’s last hurrah with one another, but that bond is tested by real-life consequences. Can you leave your own childhood behind?