Gaspard, a glum loner, arrives at a seaside resort in Brittany and finds himself rather reluctantly entwined with three young women, all of whom want something different from him - at least different to what he wants from them, although exactly what that is keeps you guessing. The pretext is fairly simple and the pace is slow and measured. For much of the time the languid leading man, walks along the beach, across the cliffs and through the town talking at length with bright, brainy waitress Margot. She seems to be dragging him, with some effort, into a platonic friendship while her boyfriend is working overseas. Their relationship never catches fire, it never gets physical and his feeble efforts to change that are easily rebuffed. All the while he constantly moons over the awaited figure of Lena, who maybe his girlfriend, or just a friend-who's-a-girl(even when she arrives, very late in the day, it's hard to tell!) Along the way Margot encourages him to date the flirty Solene, who's almost as ambiguous in her view of relationships as him, although, for a while it seems as if they are making progress as a couple. Then Lena finally turns up,treats him like dirt and life gets increasingly complex. It takes a long time to develop to this point, but the four-way relationship that emerges is engrossingly handled and the ending is amusingly satisfying. It's all done in a minor key, filmed in a smooth and efficient way, scripted in a naturalistic and undramatic fashion and acted so matter-of-factly by all concerned that it's well worth sticking with. Much of the appeal of this movie comes from the performance and personality of Amanda Langlet as Margot. She's a delight and highlights the dismal dithering deficiencies of drippy Gaspard. As with all the Rohmer films I've seen this is not a movie that's filled with high drama or visual pyrotechnics but it does have an appealing reality. Not for all tastes but thoroughly charming in it's own way.
Review of A Summer's Tale
