Pretty Good

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Philippe Garrel at his lushest and mercifully at his most accessible. "A Burning Hot Summer" is a delectably sensuous tale of amour fou in which two couples spend a summer together in Rome; a case of Godard meets Minnelli. So as not to stray too far from the fold, Garrel makes one of the women, (Monica Belluci), an actress married to a so-so painter, (Garrel's son, Louis), and the other couple, movie extras. It's the same kind of self-enclosed world Woody Allen might inhabit sans the humour or indeed any attempt at Gallic charm; at times it reminded me of how Joan Crawford used to suffer in mink. All four central performances are excellent, even the usually reticent Louis Garrel makes his mark here. Unfortunately none of these people are particularly likeable and outside of the movie I'm sure I wouldn't want to know them. For once, however, that doesn't prove a barrier when the film is as smart as this one.

As this story begins, we watch Frederic, a young French painter, accelerating his car and crashing into a tree. We have no clue as to what appears to be a state of mind that drove this man into doing such a terrible act. In flashbacks we are introduced to Paul, a fried of the painter, who serves as the narrator of the story. Paul, a bit player in movies, met Frederic as a mutual friend took him to the painter's place, where a painting catches the eye of the actor. Paul, who by now is living with Elisabeth, an actress he met on location, is invited to go to Rome to see first hand the works of Frederic.Frederic, who is married to Angele, an actress, whose work is finally being recognized, spends his summer in a magnificent house where he works. Angele, is an unhappy woman. She reveals to Elisabeth the state of her relationship with Frederic. She confesses to her friend her husband's fondness for visiting prostitutes. She, herself, has no problems in her involvement with men, something that her husband senses, but never questions Angele. Angele, working on a new film is involved with the director, Rolande, a friend of her husband's. She has come into the conclusion her marriage is a sham and must leave him. Thus, the state of mind of Frederic when we met him.Philippe Garrel, the director of "Un ete brulant", must have had his son Louis in his heart to lead this project, as it becomes apparent it was a vehicle for his son. Written by M. Garrel in collaboration with Caroline Deruas-Garrel and Marc Cholodenko. It is based on the life on a friend of the director, a painter, whose life served as the basis for the scenario. Paul, the actor friend, is a revolutionary, but alas, he likes the worry free life his friend Frederic gives him in a beautiful surrounding without any care in the world, or much less, worries about money he obviously does not have. Paul makes statements as far as how a revolution must happen, sooner or later, and his complete abhorrence for the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy.Best thing in the film is Celine Sallette, Paul's lover and future wife. She watches quietly how her hosts' lives unravel and end badly. Louis Garrel has handsome looks with an unruly mop of black curls. His Frederic is a study in despair, in spite of having fame, he is miserable because of the way Angele drifts apart. Monica Belucci, a gorgeous woman, does not show anything in this film with her flat performance, something that surprised this viewer. Her appearance in the film is a puzzle, the way her role was conceived. Maurice Garrel, the father of the director, shows up briefly as the dead grandfather.

The actors in this French movie with English titles work hard. They act as if they feel everything intensely. The film may be enjoyed if the viewer is French and familiar with the French language and customs. I was unable to feel what the actors obviously wanted to get across to viewers. I was unable to suspend disbelief. The actors dress and personal hygiene does not correspond to what I see every day in America. This may not be a negative to French audiences. The woman in the film regarded as an outstanding beauty would not be so to most American viewers. This criticism may be unfair if viewers expect most young women to be beauty-contest gorgeous. The French woman's persona and actions may make her beautiful to a French person. French audiences may appreciate the realism in dress and actions. If I was asked to recommend this film I would say that French audiences may find the movie entertaining. However American audiences are likely to have difficulty appreciating the French appearance, emotions and behavior.

My wife and I saw this film at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival under the title "That Summer." This film repeatedly employs what I call "tableau and talk" as it focuses on a visual--perhaps a wall inside a home or an outdoor vista--and then has an off-camera voice-over talk (or more precisely drone) on about something. The film that we saw pretty much opens with the climactic scene so the audience knows very early on where this is headed. It is a film about two couples though the more famous and prosperous couple (Louis Garrel and Monica Bellucci)get the lion's share of the attention. Despite their successes, this couple is clearly more troubled and less happy. They seem to take turns sabotaging the relationship and their actions make neither especially sympathetic. This severely constrains audience investment in the unfolding tragedy. As one may clearly gather from my rating of the film, I was very disappointed. However, I don't think my reaction was atypical for that audience as this was the only festival film out of 30 we saw in Toronto last year for which no one applauded at the end. Every other film that we watched received at least a smattering of applause even though it may have been characterized as polite or even half-hearted.