Melanie Lynskey

Melanie Lynskey Instagram – In 2016, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE premiered “Wells for Boys.” The sketch, co-written by Julio Torres and Jeremy Beiler, introduced a young, sensitive boy who, unlike his peers, didn’t want to be a four-star chef or win the race. Instead, he just longed to be understood. “Some kids like to play, others sort-of just wait for adulthood,” a voice-over explained. As I watched Griffin Nafly, the titular character in GRIFFIN IN SUMMER, I couldn’t help but think of the sensitive boy at the well. Nearly a decade later, that sketch has stayed with me (and I imagine others) in lightly poking fun at a kind of child that’s more common in real life than represented in film or television. Perhaps that’s why I had such a visceral reaction to GRIFFIN IN SUMMER, the feature directorial debut from Nicholas Colia that tells the story of a 14-year-old boy (an astounding debut from Everett Blunck) coming to terms with adulthood’s first peckings. It’s at once a gentle and compassionate portrayal of the life of a front-of-the-classroom kid living in a small town he thinks he’s outgrown, while also being a meditation on the powers of the creative spirit in imbuing life with meaning. In short, I loved it. I think you will as well. I did a full interview in my Substack with Nicholas Colia as well as the great Melanie Lynskey, who plays Griffin’s mother, Helen — the film’s steady center. I think the film is a triumph in both filmmaking and storytelling and warmed my heart as much as it had me peeing my pants with laughter. I hope you’ll watch it (now available on VOD!) because it’s great AND because you see the value in supporting indie filmmaking and the indie filmmakers who tell stories that would never be greenlit by big studios. These stories deserve to be told and they have audiences who want to consume them. Us. This is one of those stories! | Posted on 24/Sep/2025 23:48:06