A Summer's Tale

• Melvil Poupaud: Gaspard
• Amanda Langlet: Margot
• Gwenaëlle Simon: Solene
• Aurélia Nolin: Léna

Summer is the resulting 1996 third and penultimate part of the tetralogy of the narratives of the four seasons ( fr. Contes des quatre saisons ) by Éric Rohmer. A young man gets lack of own decisiveness between three women, without being able to choose one.

Action

Gaspard travels after graduation during the summer in the resort of Dinard in Brittany. At the end of the summer he should take a job as a mathematician. Gaspard has a date with his girlfriend Léna, to meet her here to visit the Breton island of Ouessant.

He is in love with Léna and traveled here without knowing if it ever comes. The young woman is with her sister in Spain on the go and wants to possibly visit their cousins. While waiting for her, he spends the day alone, composed a song for her and expected her call otherwise. He meets Margot. She studied anthropology and earns as a waitress in the cafe of her aunt some money for the summer. Both become friends and spend some time together.

Margot, who says that they have a friend on a research trip, receives from her interlocutor a contradictory picture because of his feelings, he is not himself clear. At first he acts towards women shy and seems to depend on the inclinations Lenas. Actually, he does not love her and am only a love for the summer. Margot encourages Gaspard is to meet with Solene who is interested in him. When the two meet by chance and spend the weekend together, decides to Gaspard, no more waiting for Léna. He suggests Solene to visit with him the island. He plays her before his written for Léna song and declared that it was for them.

It is located in a high esteem and believed it was him seriously with Solene. As he explains it, Margot, she accuses him of manipulating women and calculating act towards them. After that, Gaspard makes on the way to Solene to open her his feelings. On the way he meets by chance Léna who lives with her cousins ​​for a few days. Both spend a nice day together. Léna Gaspard explains that the beauty is to him that she could talk to him without him only think of one thing. In an interview with Margot, he explains the encounter with Solene have opened his eyes that he loved Léna.

Before he can explain this Solene, he sees Léna again, who tells him that they are departing to visit friends. Both get a big dispute in which she says Gaspard, they do not think he's good enough for themselves. When he insists on her love, Léna forbids him to see her again. He cries out with Margot. Only with her he could be himself, which is why he wanted to visit with her ​​the island. Léna and Solene he could explain the safe. Margot and Gaspard kiss and Margot makes fun of Gaspard funny that he now had to decide between three women. Solene over he does not dare to cancel the trip. Even with her, he arranges to meet for the tour. She invites him to a party in the evening. When he is back in his room, he gets a call from Léna that reconcile with him and would like to make the trip. He should accompany for an appointment in the evening.

Gaspard completely desperate. He tried in vain to reach Margot. Then he gets a call. A friend gives him a favorable eight-track tape recorder for a good price, but he must be in La Rochelle the next day to this opportunity not to be missed. Facilitates the young man says, since this means that he must leave immediately. As Margot answers, he tells her that he will leave the same afternoon. She accompanied him to the ferry, which he takes without saying goodbye to Léna and Solene.

Comments

• The other films of the tetralogy are spring story (1990 ), Autumn Story (1998) and The Winter's Tale (1992).
• Amanda Langlet, the actress who plays Margot, already worked in 1983 with Éric Rohmer together. She played Pauline Pauline at the beach. In 2004, she took a role in Triple Agent.

Criticism

James Berardinelli stated in ReelViews, the 76 -year-old Rohmer might have a better understanding of young love as young lovers. The film was working, because the characters real and their circumstances are present, so that the audience will almost inevitably drawn into the film. One condition would however have to bring the audience: One must be ready to enjoy the dialogues, and many of them. The film Concerning operative over only little konventielle action and concentrate on the acting characters.