LAST SUMMER/ L’ETE DERNIER, France, 2023. Starring Lea Drucker, Samuel Kircher, Olivier Rabourdin. Directed by Catherine Breillat. 103 minutes. Rated MA (Strong sex scenes)
The title sounds innocent enough, rather languid in memory. However, this is a film adapted from a novel, written and directed by veteran French director Breillat. Over the decades, she has ventured cinematic probes on all kinds of intense personal issues, relationships and sexuality. This is her first film in a decade –taking up an important theme, a relationship between an older woman and a younger man, and this time the younger man is underage.
This issue has been prominent in films in 2023-2024. There was May-December, based on an actual case in the US. There was the light romantic comedy, A Family Affair, with Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron. There was also the romantic comedy with some serious overtones, especially public targeting of the older woman, The Idea of You, with Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. And, at the same time, there was also a film, Miller’s Girl, with Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega, of the relationship between male academics and younger female students.
The film opens strongly with the theme of legal defence for victims of sexual attacks. The central character, Anne (Drucker) is strongly professional, intelligent, working with a young survivor for her court appearance and successful in prosecution. She has married an older husband, Pierre, adopted two young girls, her husband having problems with his teenage son, Theo (Kircher) from his previous marriage.
The drama and the issues begin when Theo moves out from his mother’s house and becomes part of Anne and Pierre’s household. Surly, always on his phone, cantankerous with his father, but delighting in playing with the two little girls who love him. And Theo has a girlfriend who turns up.
Gradually, somewhat surprisingly given Anne’s professional standards, there is an attraction, Theo making advances from his immature perspective, wanting some support and love, Anne succumbing.
Breillat has always had a very direct, open and frank approach to dramatising this kind of situation. And this is the case here. She uses a very forceful cinematic style of photography, the continued use of close-ups, of extreme close-ups of the faces of her protagonists, long takes, letting the audience watch, respond, gauge their reactions. The affair continues, sometimes lyrical, sometimes passionate. It might seem that we are being invited to favour the relationship.
But, that is the skill of the film. There is the ethical and moral challenge to Anne and her beliefs and legal practice. And the word that some commentators have used about her behaviour is ‘transgression’. Knowing the ethics, she has allowed herself to be overcome by lustful feelings, and exploitation of the inexperience of the willing teenager.
Which means, that at the end of the film, Anne has had to face the reality of her actions, face the consequences and appreciate the impact of the experience on Theo. There is a drama of Theo and his reaction, his accusations against Anne, the complexities of his emotions in loving and hating her.
Last Summer is challenging for its protagonists but also offers an emotional and moral challenge to the audience.
Potential Films
Released 5 September