Say You Will

The awkward, angsty plight of the teenage experience is examined and appreciated in this debut feature film from director Nick Naveda. Meet Sam (Travis Tope), an 18-year-old high school graduate, looking to fill his time in the summer before he leaves for college. When his childhood crush and new friend Ellie (Katherine Hughes) offers him a job at the Video Flicks, he jumps on the opportunity to spend time with her. But Ellie does not play her part in this film as the standard manic pixie dream girl, only there to enhance Sam's efforts to improve his own personal life; she has her own fears and dreams and attitude on the world. As these two teens learn to navigate the highs and lows of life after high school, they explore what it means to find the person you need in your life at a certain point in time. Paired with a quirky and expressive supporting cast, Naveda's relationship-centered film accepts the uncertainty of young adulthood and empowers those who feel lost to allow themselves to not be alone in their ambiguity and search for answers. (Seattle International Film Festival)