Winter Spring Summer or Fall Review: A Charming Jenna Ortega Leads the Familiar But Well-Told Teen Romance
Winter Spring Summer or Fall marks the directorial debut of Tiffany Paulsen, primarily a screenwriter for movies like Nancy Drew and About Fate. Here, she directs Dan Schoffer’s (Hollidaysburg, Not Cool) screenplay that focuses on two young adults played by Jenna Ortega and Percy Hynes White. They were, of course, previously seen together in the first season of Netflix’s Wednesday.
The title in question chronicles Remi and Barnes’ relationship throughout four seasons. It begins in the winter when the two first meet on a train in New York City, even though they had already crossed paths earlier when Barnes spent time on the roof of his friend’s house in her neighbourhood. He did notice her from the beginning, but didn’t reach out to her until they had a chance encounter while taking the same train. He sees this as an opportunity to talk to her.
We learn that Remi is an overachiever looking forward to entering the prestigious Harvard, while Barnes is a polar opposite. The latter prefers to take a gap year and spend time doing nothing significant. They seem to come from different worlds and have nothing in common, such as the fact that Barnes’ love for Talking Heads and Remi has no idea about the band he’s talking about. Well, at least in the beginning of them during their initial meet-cute moment that ends with a comedic disaster.
Then comes the springtime, specifically the fateful night of senior prom, where the two reunite, and it doesn’t take long before they are finally in a relationship together. To determine the success of such a romantic drama that instantly reminds me of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in the Before trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight), it all heavily relies on the cast to make it work.
Thankfully, Ortega and Hynes White’s characters are given enough personalities while they successfully develop substantial chemistry between them. We see how their bond as a young couple madly falls in love, only to be ultimately tested by a few eventual circumstances, including their path in life and different ideologies. Inevitable conflicts, such as an obligatory moment where Remi’s dejected parents (Adam Rodriguez, Marisol Nichols) aren’t pleased with their daughter’s drastic decision of throwing her life away, can be seen here as well.
The story may have been episodic, and yet the writing is mostly on point. It’s all familiar stuff, and Paulsen isn’t interested in reinventing the wheel other than sticking to the familiar, tried-and-true genre conventions commonly seen in movies about relationships. As formulaic as it looks in her direction and storytelling structure, the movie remains a surprisingly better-than-expected romantic drama.
The winning dynamic, along with Jenna Ortega and Percy Hynes White’s overall nuanced acting performances aside, Winter Spring Summer or Fall equally benefits from Paulsen’s assured direction, and the good thing about this movie is its lean 97-minute length that doesn’t meander around for too long to the point it overstays its welcome.
Credits also go to Paulsen for noticing all the little details that matter, like the flirting, the reluctance, along with all the gazes and gestures to convey how the two feel for each other. No prize for guessing on how the movie ends since Paulsen seems to be a firm believer that the journey, even the predictable one, of a couple’s relationship resonates the most. This is especially true when we find ourselves — I certainly did — rooting for Remi and Barnes, despite their difference. Also worth mentioning here is the breezy tone of the movie as well as the extra attention that goes to Zac Rae’s music score and Graham Robbins’ cinematography.
