The Myth of the American Sleepover

The teenagers in 'The Myth of the American Sleepover,' David Robert Mitchell's lovely debut feature, are linked in a great chain of liking, which is their euphemism for longing. 'Do you smoke?' a boy asks a girl when she hands him a lighter to use on a bug-repellent candle. 'No,' she says, 'but I used to like a guy who smoked.' And later another guy falls into a circuitous, teasing discussion with twin sisters about which one of them he likes, and which one likes him. 'You can't like both of us,' says the sister who may be the one who likes the guy. Or not. And that blond girl with the apple cheeks and the pierced lip may like the shaggy- haired guy who works at the public swimming pool, though at one point she seems to like a different guy. Another girl does not seem to like her boyfriend all that much, until she discovers that her slumber party hostess used to like him, which may inspire her to start liking the hostess's current boyfriend. I could go on - the film does, spinning curlicues of desire through a long, late-summer Michigan night - but no doubt you are already confused enough. Which is part of Mr. Mitchell's knowing, understated point. These kids are confused too. (oficjalny tekst dystrybutora)