Deborah lives alone in Upstate New York, where she spends her days weaving baskets, gardening, and chatting with her young neighbor Jerry. When Deborah’s daughter Nora stops by unannounced, she is taken aback to discover the fullness and independence of her mother’s life. The film subverts the trope of a parent losing a sense of purpose when their child leaves the nest. “Working Summer” is about a parent leaving the nest, and a child who must come to terms with it.

Director’s Vision for ‘Working Summer’

Working Summer explores a parent and child in a new phase of their relationship. Deborah’s daughter Nora is an adult now, but unlike more traditional stories where a parent must grapple with a child leaving the nest, in this film Nora is confronted with the fulfilled, independent life her mother has in her absence. The film wonders about the obligations and expectations of parents, particularly mothers, when their children grow up. How do we react to a mother who does not conform to what her child wants her to be? To a parent who has interests and independence outside of her family? What are the responsibilities between parent and child when both are adults?