Summertime

Summertime takes place in the early 1970’s. The first character we meet is Delphine. Delphine works on a farm run by her parents. Her parents wonder when she will settle down with a nice boy. Delphine has no interest in this because she is a lesbian and currently seeing a local girl. When her current lover ends things as she is to be married, Delphine runs off to Paris. Here, Delphine meets Carole. Carole is a member of a local feminist group which Delphine quickly becomes a part of. Delphine pursues Carole and Carole allows this, despite having a boyfriend. When Delphine’s father falls ill, she must return to help her mother on the farm. Carole comes with her and for a while, things are wonderful. But Delphine’s inability to be honest and come out to her parents becomes more and more of a problem for Carole.

Summertime is an absolutely exquisite movie to look at. Beautiful settings and cinematography ensure that if nothing else, the film is pleasing to the eye. These visuals help the film’s sense of sweeping romance. Most of Delphine and Carole’s romance is depicted visually instead of through dialogue and it works. I would be happy to live forever in the hazy summer days of their romance that make up the middle of the film.

Farming has never looked more appealing in Summertime. Much as the film depicts it as hard work, it is also shown as both romantic and empowering. For Carole, Delphine and Delphine’s mother, they find having this level of control and responsibility to be a positive as much as a burden. Summertime shows that there’s lots of different paths women can take to feeling empowered and fulfilled. In general, the film’s take on feminism is really good. Admittedly, I spend too much time on the internet so any depiction of feminism that isn’t god awful is a win in my books. So while it’s a low bar, I’m glad feminism was portrayed as being rational, helpful and empowering.

There’s an exploration of the city-country divide in the film as well which offers up some nuance to the film and its depiction of feminism. This isn’t a film where the city folk are all woke bohemians and Delphine’s town is full of backwater yokels or, whatever the French equivalent of yokel is (yok-il and yok-elle?). While Delphine feels suffocated by having such a tight-knit community which gives her fewer opportunities for secrets and privacy, there are benefits too. The film makes a point that some of the things Parisian feminists are fighting for, such as wage equality and the right for women to have control of their industry are fairly commonplace in the countryside.

Sadly, the glorious summer days of the film end. Eventually, real life pressures do throw a wrench into Delphine and Carole’s feminist farm utopia. So sadly, the film does not offer a happy ending in the romantic sense. But at least neither of them die. And the film makes sure to depict the relationship and its inevitable end as an experience both women grow from. At the end of the film, Delphine and Carole aren’t together but both seem happy in their now separate lives. So in that respect at least, the ending is happy.

Summertime is a beautiful, romantic film. The main romance is a treat to watch and the rest of the film’s themes and plots are well-executed. In every area, this is a good and successful film.

Overall rating: 8.3/10

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