Conte d'été is another minor gem from Eric Rohmmer who still continues to impress with his eye for human interaction and the fallibility of love. In this slight but engaging tale, Rohmer follows the actions of Gaspard, a sullen-faced Frenchman whose hair resembles the curls of the late Michael Hutchence of INXS, but whose love life is all awry. We follow his journey one summer in Normandy where his entanglements with his girlfriend and a local waitress offer the main dramatic scenes of the film. The problem is that Gaspard is too impassive and numb to express his frustration and I was left with the same sense of detachment from this indecisive Gallic lothario. However, the opening is surprising because there is no conversation for 6 minutes. It feels like a return to the silent era here where images conveyed more than words, where silence was a form of mystery.
Review of A Summer's Tale
