Nicholas Colia’s wonderfully charming Griffin in Summer was the darling of the narrative features award categories at this year’s Tribeca Festival. Colia’s debut feature took home the prize for best U.S. film, screenplay, and received a special jury mention for new narrative director.

The film introduces 14-year-old Griffin Nafly (Everett Blunck), at the beginning of his summer vacation. The young writer has just finished his new play that will be performed in his basement (a tradition he and his friends do every summer). Griffin describes it as a cross between “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and “American Beauty.”

This particular summer, and to his chagrin, Griffin’s pals seem less interested in their thespian pursuits and more excited to participate in summertime kids activities. As his best friend Kara (Abby Ryder Fortson) argues, “You scheduled 60 hours of rehearsal a week!” Griffin’s retort? “That’s the equity standard!”

Struggling to keep everyone’s attention on the play, Griffin’s emotional awakenings bloom when his mother Helen (Melanie Lynskey) hires a 25 year old named Brad (Owen Teague) to be their handyman over the summer. As Griffin becomes entranced with the 25-year-old, he discovers his new handyman recently lived in NYC, the place where Griffin plans to move when he hits 18. He also learns Brad is a performance artist, which becomes the glue that solidifies the young teen’s admiration.

As infatuation gives way to attraction, Griffin seeks to fire his lead actor, give the role to the much older Brad, and perhaps the two will produce a lifelong friendship.

Griffin in Summer traverses the eruptions of emotions in a child’s life as they are creeping into high school and witnessing their first glimpses of independence. Colia’s screenplay is a gentle and quite funny look at a first crush and how it fires up one’s hearts and hormones.

While Griffin’s fixation on Brad encompasses his every thought, the rough patches in his personal life begin to boil over. His friends feel ignored and disrespected, while his parents are going through a bitter separation due to his dad’s apparent philandering; a source of material that will shape Griffin’s latest play.

While Colia’s screenplay skillfully gets to the heart of Griffin and his friendships, obsessions, and drive to create art, the filmmaker skims over the parental issues that are affecting their son. The father is an apparent alcoholic (or is he?) who keeps different whiskeys in the kitchen cabinets. Lynskey’s Helen is always seen trying to piece together the time frame of her husband’s contact with his mistress. The actress (one of our most reliable) does great, but her role could have benefited from a stronger design.

A side character, Brad’s girlfriend (a sweet Kathryn Newton), is engaging and hints at a potential friend for Griffin, but the picture lets her go too soon.