A Summer's Tale (1996)
"Conte d'été" (original title)

In the centre of part 3 of Rohmer's "4 Seasons-Cycle" stands a young man, Gaspard, who went to Dinard (a town by the sea in the Bretagne) because he hopes to meet the girl he thinks he is ... See full summary »

Director:

Eric Rohmer

Writer:

Eric Rohmer

Stars:

Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet, Gwenaëlle Simon

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Melvil Poupaud	...	Gaspard
Amanda Langlet	...	Margot
Gwenaëlle Simon	...	Solene
Aurelia Nolin	...	Lena
Aimé Lefèvre	...	The Newfoundlander
Alain Guellaff	...	Uncle Alain
Evelyne Lahana	...	Aunt Maiwen
Yves Guérin	...	Accordionist
Franck Cabot	...	Cousin

Storyline

In the centre of part 3 of Rohmer's "4 Seasons-Cycle" stands a young man, Gaspard, who went to Dinard (a town by the sea in the Bretagne) because he hopes to meet the girl he thinks he is in love with - Lena. Shortly after his arrival he comes into contact with Margot who works as a servant at her aunt's creperie. He spends a long time with her, and discusses the way he feels about Lena but he hesitates to tell the truth about his relationship. The reason is that he isn't quite sure himself. Although he insists he loves Lena, doubts arise...

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Plot Keywords:

love | friendship | photograph | drinking | summer job | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

5 June 1996 (France)

Also Known As:

A Summer's Tale

Filming Locations:

Dinard, Ille-et-Vilaine, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, La Sept Cinéma, Les Films du Losange

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows A Tale of Winter (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Fille de corsaire"
Performed by Sebastien Erms

User Reviews

An excellent reflection on the value of friendship compared to that of light romances

I'd say this film is an essay, regarding shyness, relations with the opposite sex, friendship and love. Being only based on the dialogues between different people, it's full of substance, and will definitely ask the viewer to think on the matter. I liked it so much because the people were real, the problem was real. Lots of people suffer problems of integration and self-achievement next to others and these have been thoroughly dealt with in the film.

Its main problems are how much is worth a summer romance next to a sincere friendship, and the importance of knowing exactly one's feelings and purposes (do I love her, or do I not ? Am I merely trying to have fun?).

In the end, we are faced with a line addressed to the main character that we can take for ourselves: "it was your own choice, think about it".

That's the main message: the director presents a problem, the dialogues delve deeply in several of its aspects but the conclusion of why things turned out as they did is left to us. In short, the viewer will certainly learn something from it, and that can even lead to deeper self-reflections on one's personal life. A valuable film, and an interesting lesson. Especially good for young people afraid of not finding that special one.