HOT GIRL SUMMER – Review by April Neale
Growing up is hard to do, and Hot Girl Summer is a familiar coming-of-age story with fresh faces and a distinctly female perspective. Director Martina Plura’s reimagining of the 2001 cult hit Mädchen, Mädchen follows teenage best friends as they make an earnest pact to solve what they see as their biggest dilemma before summer ends: none of them has ever experienced an orgasm. Ultimately, Hot Girl Summer argues that climaxing isn’t the finish line these young women imagine it to be. Finding your voice, advocating for your own happiness, and building relationships rooted in honesty and respect prove to be the real milestones. Funny, charming, and unexpectedly thoughtful, Martina Plura’s film delivers an empowering coming-of-age story that places young women’s experiences squarely at the center of the conversation.