The Beautiful Summer (2023)
27KThe Beautiful Summer (2023). 1h 51m
“Itu0026#39;s frustrating to watch a film thatu0026#39;s ostensibly headed along a particular trajectory but that continually stumbles on the path it takes to get there. Thatu0026#39;s precisely what happens in this period piece coming out/coming of age story set in 1938 Italy. Writer-director Laura Luchettiu0026#39;s adaptation of Cesare Paveseu0026#39;s 1949 novel about an impressionable 17-year-old dressmaker (Yile Yara Vianello) who becomes romantically infatuated with an artistu0026#39;s model (Deva Cassel) takes its own sweet time (and plenty of overlong detours) in making its way toward a seemingly foregone conclusion. But, even when this offering apparently approaches that destination, it takes yet another unexpected left-field turn and subsequently leads to what the filmmaker herself admits is a deliberately ambiguous conclusion. Consequently, this is the kind of movie thatu0026#39;s likely to leave many viewers scratching their head and asking, u0026quot;Whatu0026#39;s the point of all this?u0026quot; The picture is allegedly intended to address a subject that was considered taboo at the time of the storyu0026#39;s setting and of the booku0026#39;s writing, but that objective isnu0026#39;t fulfilled nearly as clearly as it might have been. As a result, whatever lofty intentions might have been behind the initiation of this production, theyu0026#39;re decidedly obscured in the final cut. There are also some passing references to the fascist sociopolitical conditions of the time (elements not included in the source material), but theyu0026#39;re never developed much, making their inclusion look like throwaway afterthoughts. To its credit, u0026quot;The Beautiful Summeru0026quot; has some fine cinematography, well-chosen location settings showcasing the beauty of Turin and a stirring soundtrack, but, if these attributes are the best that one can say about the film, thatu0026#39;s not saying much about the picture overall. Luchettiu0026#39;s third feature outing truly needs ample retooling to make it work, because, as it stands, it doesnu0026#39;t.”
