Summer of ‘67

Set in 1967—pointedly during the Vietnam War—Summer of ‘67 is a Christian faith-based drama about the personal costs of war on the families and friends of those who are fighting half a world away. Three women face agonizing uncertainty about how their men are faring in Vietnam: Milly (Rachel Schrey), pregnant with her second child, lives with her judgmental mother-in-law while husband Gerald (Cameron Gilliam) is gone. The younger Kate (Bethany Davenport), intrigued by the era’s anti-war counterculture, is fond of Gerald’s cousin, Peter (Christopher Dalton), who has enlisted unexpectedly. And Ruby Mae (Sharonne Lanier), housekeeper to Milly and Kate, has just found her life partner, Reggie (Jerrold Edwards), only to see him snatched away by the draft. The strains and pressures of the Vietnam years on the homefront are well captured here, with thoughtfulness and a careful eye for detail, as writer-director Sharon Wilharm evokes the look and feel of the late ‘60s without resorting to kitsch. Her camera unobtrusively swoops and circles through rooms during scenes of dialogue and action, absorbing the era’s style, atmosphere, and sensibility almost on a subliminal level. And the Christian aspect is equally seamless in its overall fit with the story, as pastor characters reflect on the nature of sacrifice and love. Recommended. (T. Keogh)