This Summer Feeling

Lawrence (Anders Danielsen Lie) and his girlfriend Sasha (Stéphanie Déhel) live happily together in Berlin. They don't know any big worries. They live together into the day, not suspecting that each of them could be their last. But then one day Sasha simply collapses and dies a short time later in hospital. The young woman is simply no more, but for Lawrence, as well as Sasha's family, life must somehow go on. A year later, Lawrence visits Sasha's sister Zoé (Judith Chemila) in Paris, where it quickly becomes clear that they both have not yet come to terms with the loss. Even the idyll that Zoe finds when she visits her parents' home in Anecy turns out to be a mere facade. It is not until another year later, when Zoe visits Lawrence in New York, that life finally seems to have become a little easier and grief no longer has a grip on normal everyday life. But perhaps appearances are deceiving even now?

This Summer Feeling deals with the subject of coping with grief in a very quiet way. In a completely unagitated manner, director Mikhaël Hers shows how the unexpected death of a loved one changes the lives of those left behind and how they try to gradually find their way back into everyday life. Because even if it sounds trite: life goes on. It hurts and something is missing - but it will always go on somehow. The atmosphere that Hers is able to build up in the very different places of action reflects this feeling very well. But it also makes the film a very difficult thing to watch.

because nothing much really happens. The audience gets a brief glimpse into snapshots of the characters you meet under less than pleasant circumstances. While it's entirely possible to form something of an emotional bond with Lawrence and Zoe in particular. This is especially evident in the last act, which is set in New York. Here melancholy mixes with the hope of a new beginning, sadness with the desire for love and life. And this also transfers to the audience. Nevertheless, it's also a bit exhausting to follow the long scenes of seeming triviality and to pay full attention to them all the time. Sure, it becomes clear why the director doesn't use a cinematic dramaturgy in the classic sense. But watching the characters walk around somewhere, talking about mundane things or just looking sad, is a bit of a test of patience at a running time of almost two hours.

Despite this: what the film wants to convey, it brings across very authentically and powerfully. So if you want to see a very true-to-life drama about loss, grief and letting go and are willing to face the somewhat unwieldy production, you can warmly recommend This Summer Feeling. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp