Conte d’été (A Summer's Tale)

The subtly crafted third instalment of Rohmer’s Contes des quatre saisons is a refined summer romantic comedy about doubt, desire and indecision, and one of Rohmer’s few films featuring a male protagonist. Whilst on holiday in Dinard, the young musician Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud) waits for his beloved Léna, but in the meantime becomes entangled in a subtle game with the outspoken Margot (Amanda Langlet) and the sensual Solène (Gwenaëlle Simon). Gaspard tries to make a rational choice, but is characterised above all by hesitation. Rohmer paints a sensitive portrait of this anti-hero as someone who does not know himself well and prefers to let reality decide. The natural performances and the summery, sensual atmosphere of the Normandy coast lend the film a sparkling lightness. With long walks by the sea, music and chance encounters, Rohmer once again demonstrates how the everyday can be transformed into pure cinema.