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Summer Storm

Play trailer Poster for Summer Storm R 2004 1h 38m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
48% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A teenager comes to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for his best friend over the course of a summer. Tobi and Achim are best friends and rowing teammates, and they have competed together in several races. During a summer training retreat, Achim's increasingly serious relationship with his girlfriend stirs up feelings in Tobi that suggest he views Achim as more than a friend. Events come to a head as the summer comes to a close and a big race is on the horizon.
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Summer Storm

Summer Storm

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Critics Consensus

Strong performances and an inclusive approach to sexual awakening aren't enough to make Summer Storm a truly memorable coming-of-age story.

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Critics Reviews

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Bruce Westbrook Houston Chronicle May 19, 2006
2/4
Its coming-of-age yarn goes nowhere beyond inevitably out of a closet. Go to Full Review Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter May 10, 2006
This gay coming-of-age film from Germany ultimately has few original aspects, but it is an intelligently wrought drama that makes it a respectable entry in the genre. Go to Full Review John Hartl Seattle Times Mar 31, 2006
2.5/4
Stadlober, a young Austrian actor cast in the leading role, is charming enough to survive most of the movie's labored attempts to lighten up. Go to Full Review Joe Lipsett The Queer Gaze (Podcast) Aug 13, 2024
A silly, but mostly entertaining product of its time, Summer Storm has all of the hallmarks of a gay coming of age film (and surprisingly few sports tropes!) Go to Full Review David Lamble Bay Area Reporter May 9, 2020
Summer Storm envisions a world where adolescents find their affections and orientation up for grabs, with the outcome a bit more important than winning gold, silver or bronze. Go to Full Review Paul Dale The List Apr 27, 2019
2/5
Thomas Bahmann and Kreuzpaintner's script has all the natural rhythm and humor of a long-expired crawfish. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Sep 7, 2026 This was a very good gay movie! See more Lorenz L @Lorenz1060 Jun 28, 2026 Despite the very good (not quite excellent) performances by a mostly-teenage cast, this coming-of-age flick suffers from an extraordinarily poorly-constructed screenplay, totally uneven soundtrack (the music supervisor uses everything from an all-girl cover of The Village People’s "Go West" to a song from "The Muppets" – yes, the children’s puppet show – to what may pass for generic romantic music for a Hallmark movie), but it is the director who fumbles most. Its length is unnecessary, and – 22 years after it was made – a lot of it is now cringe-worthy. There are three or four excellent performances, some nice bodies (of all sexes) to look at, and decent cinematography of a gorgeous part of the world. Overall, in 2026, it seems like something one may want to show to a homophobic family member to get them to reconsider their decision to throw you out of their house. See more dlma1 M @dlma1 Sep 10, 2023 I don't know why the critics didn't like this movie. I found it to be a realistic portrayal of adolescent struggles with sexual identity. It was well-acted and directed. Ignore the critics and check this one out. 7/10 See more Jun 14, 2020 Set in Germany the main character is a team member at a rowing team. At a training camp he finds himself. See more Nov 30, 2014 A good coming of age story.I certainly enjoyed watching it. See more May 31, 2014 Just kind of average. See more Read all reviews
Summer Storm

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Cast & Crew

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Marco Kreuzpaintner

Director

Robert Stadlober

Tobi

Kostja Ullmann

Achim

Alicja Bachleda-Curuś

Anke

Miriam Morgenstern

Sandra

Tristano Casanova

Georg

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Summer Storm

A scene from the film SUMMER STORM directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner. A scene from the film SUMMER STORM directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner. A scene from the film SUMMER STORM directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner. A scene from the film SUMMER STORM directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner. A scene from the film SUMMER STORM directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner. A scene from the film SUMMER STORM directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner. A scene from the film SUMMER STORM directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner. On the set of the film SUMMER STORM directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner. Summer Storm (2004) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A teenager comes to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for his best friend over the course of a summer. Tobi and Achim are best friends and rowing teammates, and they have competed together in several races. During a summer training retreat, Achim's increasingly serious relationship with his girlfriend stirs up feelings in Tobi that suggest he views Achim as more than a friend. Events come to a head as the summer comes to a close and a big race is on the horizon.
Director
Marco Kreuzpaintner
Producer
Jakob Claussen, Ulrike Putz, Thomas Wöbke
Screenwriter
Thomas Bahmann, Marco Kreuzpaintner
Distributor
Regent Releasing
Production Co
Claussen & Wöbke Film Production
Rating
R (Drug Content|Sexuality|Language)
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 2, 2004, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Mar 17, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$95.0K
Runtime
1h 38m
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