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August is a 2014 Belgian drama film directed by Jeroen Perceval. The film is set in the summer period in a small scenic village in Belgium, where August, a young timid teenager struggles to understand and cope with the unanticipated events that take place during his summer vacation. The movie follows August's journey where he discovers values of family, love, trust, and loyalty amidst the unexpected events that occur around him.

August stars Mo Bakker as August, the main character of the movie. August is an introverted 13-year-old boy who lives in the city with his mother Julie (played by Viviane de Muynck) and has come to spend his summer holidays in the idyllic countryside with his grandparents, who own a farm. August's friend Nicole (played by Laura Drosopoulos) also comes to stay with them for a few days. It is evident from the outset that August is dealing with some emotional baggage given his near-silent nature but we see the beginnings of a stronger connection he has with his grandfather Herman (played by Josse De Pauw) who kindly provides him with a number of projects, mainly focused in farming and tending to the animals.

As August makes more friends within the small village, he learns the importance of opening up and sharing his thoughts and feelings with them. He meets Lena (played by Aagje Claes), a girl his age, who helps him come out of his shell and opens his eyes to the world around him. August and Lena share a close friendship, and eventually, their relationship develops into something deeper.

As August grows closer to Lena, the movie takes a dramatic shift when he is confronted with a terrible event, shaking his sense of safety and security. August's uncertainty on how to deal with this event, coupled with the inexperience of the adults and teenagers around him causes him to question the safety offered by his family and the wider community. Tobias (played by Mo Bakker) August's boyfriend, Nicole, Lena, and August band together to make sense of this horrible event that has taken place.

The movie's cinematography takes full advantage of the picturesque landscapes surrounding the village. The tranquility and stillness of the village are juxtaposed with the raw emotion that August goes through. This is captured cleanly in a variety of shots including the capturing of landscapes, and intimate close-ups of our characters. Through these cinematography choices the film effectively communicates August's emotional state, his journey to discovering how to interact with the people around him, his inner battles and his eventual self-discovery.

Throughout the film, the acting is solid, with each character providing a unique depth to the story. Mo Bakker shines as August the innocent protagonist while his co-actors also provide him with pitch-perfect support. Aagje Claes' charming and caring portrayal of Lena plays a strong contrast to August's mostly muted characteristics. Mil Sinaeve in his debut performance for the movie does an admirable job bringing out the nuances of Tobias.

Overall, August is a heart-warming and emotional film that offers an intricate exploration of the bonds of family and friendship, as the characters grapple with life's big questions. It is a slow-moving, atmospheric movie that asks the viewer to becomes fully invested in the world and characters depicted onscreen. The movie's themes of love, trust, and family are timeless and relatable, even for those who have grown up in very different surroundings. Despite being a relatively obscure film, August is undoubtedly deserving of attention.

August is a 2013 drama with a runtime of 20 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.6.