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Last Summer
L'Été dernier
2023 104 min France 18+
★6.7
Drama
Director: Catherine Breillat
🎭 Based on
«Queen of Hearts»
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
One summer, a French teenager who has been living with his mother in the city moves in with his estranged father’s family in the countryside, where he clashes with his stepmother.
US Gross:
$174,977
Worldwide:
$1.02M
Starring
Léa Drucker
Actor
Samuel Kircher
Actor
Olivier Rabourdin
Actor
Awards
César Awards 2024
— Best Director
César Awards 2024
— Best Actress
César Awards 2024
— Best Adapted Screenplay
Cannes Film Festival 2023
— Palme d'Or
César Awards 2024
— Most Promising Actor
Key opinion
Catherine Breillat's drama explores a transgressive affair through a bourgeois lens, presenting a morally ambiguous look at familial destruction. While the film is praised for its nuanced character study and visual intimacy, critics are divided on the depth of the screenplay and the emotional weight of the performances.
| Cinematography | The cinematography effectively captures the characters' inner turmoil through microscopic close-ups that emphasize subtle shifts in expression. | |
| Originality | The plot, which follows a stepmother's affair with her stepson, is widely viewed as a trivial or familiar premise rather than an original narrative concept. | |
| Acting | Performances are divisive: some find the cast's raw, unpolished acting brings a necessary humanity to the roles, while others describe the portrayals as mediocre and technically unconvincing. | |
| Emotion | Intimate scenes are criticized for feeling emotionally hollow, clumsy, and overly focused on the mechanics of the encounter rather than the passion. | |
| Screenplay | Opinions on the screenplay are split: some appreciate the non-judgmental exploration of complex human impulses, whereas others find the writing weak and lacking in narrative momentum. |