Date: 2015
Director: Catherine Corsini
Actors/ Characters: Cécile De France/ Carole, Izïa Higelin/ Delphine Benchiessa
Summary: There was little chance, in the year 1971, that Carole, a Paris Spanish teacher and feminist militant, would ever meet Delphine, the daughter of a couple of Limousin farmers. But they did meet and not only did they come across each other but they fell passionately in love as well.
Review
Summertime is a powerful and thought provoking film about two women from different backgrounds who fall in love in a time where homosexuality is highly taboo. I was so impressed with this film from the visuals to the performances, to put it simply it as well thought out and effectively executed.
One of the highlights of this film, for me, was the visuals. The locations were beautiful, Paris as a city is gorgeous but the countryside backdrop was so rich and vibrant that the film was pleasing to watch. Having the contrast between the bustling, boisterous city to the idyllic and sleepy countryside also served to highlight the differences between Delphine and Carole themselves. The cinematography was also excellent in this film.
Obviously this film touches on highly important issues and themes regarding sexuality and discrimination. The historical/ cultural backdrops used to stress the discrimination surrounding homosexual couples worked incredibly well. Having the film set in 1970s, a time were second-wave feminism was coming into play, allowed for not just sexuality to be explored but also the problems of patriarchy and sexism. The feminist and homosexual elements of the film worked effectively together and I thought it was really inspirational and empowering to see these two elements prevail and fight throughout the course of the film.
I loved the introduction to the feminist movement. They entered the film in a protesting and spirited surge fighting against objectification and sexism as they 'pinched men's bums' in an act of rebellion. The meetings they held were also wonderful to watch as the depicted an important time in history where women were starting to say no to the superiority of men. The energy and spirit of all the women was highly effective and empowering to watch and personally this was one of my favourite features of the film.
The contrast between city life and the country was predominant in the film and I thought it was a good device to highlight the differences between Carole and Delphine. It was interesting how the two settings worked to show the differences in attitudes as well. Where the city showed us a group of revolutionary and progressive thinking feminists we see the stubborn and traditional ideologies of the people who live in the country and that is ultimately why I think Carole and Delphine's relationship did not succeed.
I did like Carole and Delphine's relationship however I thought how they got together was highly problematic. I really dislike films that condone adultery, Carole was already in a relationship with someone when Delphine practically forced herself on her time and time again. The only reason I feel that people would accept this was because they were two women but think if Delphine was a man persistently pursuing Carole what would you think? Admittedly, I did come to like the couple and I appreciated that they were realistically flawed and struggling to make their relationship work. Although the majority of their relationship seemed to be focused on the physical I did enjoy the more tender and loving moments between them and was sad when the relationship eventually ended.
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