CW: This review discusses themes of sexual assault.
Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer was perhaps the most French film I have ever watched. Filled with scenes of the French countryside, chateaus, and sports cars,, as well as consistent undertones of love and passion, the film immediately transported me to the country of cheese and wine. Set against the backdrop of Parisian mansions, pastel-coloured clothing, and chic high heels, Last Summer is, at its core, a film about the dangers of love and passion, and also the inherent desire to stay in touch with one’s “firmness of youth.”
Screened as part of the 2024 Alliance Française French Film Festival, Last Summer follows the story of Anne (Léa Drucker), a successful lawyer who lives in the Parisian Heights with her husband Pierre (Olivier Rabourdin) and their two adoptive daughters. When we are first introduced to Anne, the film’s protagonist is firmly in charge of her career and family, successfully defending female sexual assault victims in court while being a caring and loving mother, wife, and sister. However, disruption rocks Anne’s seemingly perfect life with the arrival of 17-year-old Theo (Samuel Kircher), Pierre’s son from a previous marriage. Upon Theo’s decision to move into the family home, Anne is initially troubled by this dashing and dangerous teen. However, Anne gradually engages in a passionate relationship with Theo, putting her career and family life in danger.
Last Summer marks the eleventh film of veteran French filmmaker and writer, Catherine Breillat. At age 76, Last Summer is the director’s first film in ten years. Based in Paris, Breillat is renowned for her distinct style and is known primarily for aiming to normalise taboo subjects through film. Indeed, most of Breillat’s previous films focus explicitly on sexuality and gender, with the director accused of being a “porno auteuriste.” Contrastingly, Breillat’s unique and often stark style surrounding sexuality has been praised for helping to bring unbiased views surrounding this topic to mainstream cinema.
Last Summer is no exception. Most prominently, it is the film’s bold storyline about the romantic relationship between a woman and her teenage stepson which encompasses Brelliat’s cinematic aim of normalising taboo subjects in her work. Interestingly, Last Summer is a remake of the 2019 Danish film Queen of Hearts, a film that also explores the passionate relationship between a woman and her teenage stepson. However, Breillat makes her distinctive mark in her French adaptation by enhancing the uncomfortable nature of this plot through her stark cinematography and lack of dialogue throughout the film. Brelliat’s integration of her distinct style when creating Last Summer was, for the most part, positively received by critics and filmgoers alike upon its first screening at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Echoing Brelliat’s distinct style, the film is sexually charged from its opening scenes. Indeed, Last Summer includes direct and at times disturbing discussions around sexual assault. The film also depicts several sex scenes which portray the attraction and desire between stepmother and stepson, and the legal and moral barriers this threatens. Although uncomfortable to watch, something that struck me about these scenes was their simplicity. Brelliat purposefully filmed these scenes with one unbroken shot and no music, making audiences feel the characters’ awkwardness and rawness from participating in this illegal act. Perhaps this was the director’s point. As Brelliat stated in an interview ahead of the Cannes Film Festival last year, her aim with these scenes was “to reveal the faces of these naked bodies and achieve the transmutation from the trivial to the divine.”
“[I aim] to move from the carnal order to the order of love and film ecstasy rather than pleasure. I don’t want to show bodies but the souls of the characters through them. Let’s not forget that we are complex beings with deep emotions… Last Summer is the synthesis of my entire body of work.”
Ultimately, Brelliat’s emphasis on the inherent emotional intricacies of her characters makes Last Summer an insightful, albeit at times uncomfortable film to watch. With superb acting from all of its cast members, especially Drucker, the film powerfully reminds us of the fragility of innocence and the complexity of our inherent desires that sometimes, we pursue at all costs.
Last Summer will be screened at the Dendy Cinemas Newtown on Thursday 5th September.
