LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! For fresh evidence that Italy produces some of the best cinema on Earth, look no further than the hyper-potent historical romance The Beautiful Summer (La Bella Estate), directed by Laura Luchetti. Luchetti adapted the screenplay from the novel by Cesare Pavese in collaboration with Greta Scicchitano, Mario Iannuzziello, and Isabella Weber.
It opens in 1938 in Turin, Italy, where Ginia (Yile Yara Vianello) and her brother Severino (Nicolas Maupas) have moved to from their childhood home in the countryside. There is no money out in the country, so Ginia works as a seamstress while Severino bounces from one profession to another while avoiding studying. One day, while they are out on the lake with their pals, Ginia meets Amelia (Deva Cassel), who is tall and beautiful and wants to get to know Ginia more. Ginia finds out Amelia makes her living standing nude as a model for all the painters in the city.
“Ginia finds out Amelia makes her living standing nude as a model for all the painters in the city.”
Ginia is overwhelmed by the untethered community of artists Amelia introduces her to, including the painter Rodrigues (Adrien Dewitte), who is usually hanging in the art studio of Guido (Alessandro Piavani). Guido’s studio has a bed in the back, which goes along with their group’s uninhibited attitude towards sex, which Ginia hasn’t participated in yet. Amelia casually sleeps with whomever but keeps pursuing Ginia, hunting her down at work and home. Ginia feels drawn to Amelia in a way she doesn’t know how to handle. She starts wondering if she has the courage to pose nude as Amelia does…
To picture the depth of visuals in The Beautiful Summer, imagine a hundred beautiful moments in time standing out in sharp contrast like a string of Christmas lights. There are so many highlighted details focused upon that have a profound impact, whether it be the perfection of the moment or images rich in metaphorical reflection. One such visual was the brief image of Amelia standing in the middle of the train with her back to the camera, gazing upon an oncoming tunnel.
"…an incredible cinematic sensory revelation..."
