For the first time in five years, the Cannes Film Festival has chosen an American film to be featured in the International Critics’ Week section! The Myth of the American Sleepover comes from first time writer/director, David Robert Mitchell and tells the story of a group of teenagers whose lives collide and overlap during their last night of freedom before school starts and summer ends.

While a description of yet another coming of age story about rebellious teens who have some kind of meaningful end-of-summer revelation might make you want to yawn just thinking about it, the preview is exceptionally promising. The Myth of the American Sleepover takes place in suburban Detroit, with kids that most of us can relate to (me especially, since I’m a mid-west gal myself) instead of being some drop dead gorgeous Hollywood types. It doesn’t feel too gritty the way something like Kids would, but it’s also lacking in the cheesy/flowery vibe that made me love movies like Now and Then.

My favorite quote from the preview is this: “They trick you into giving up your childhood with all these promises of adventure. Once you realize what you’ve lost, it’s too late. You can’t get it back.” Color me curious.

The Myth of the American Sleepover – Official Trailer from Strike Anywhere on Vimeo.