The Beautiful Summer

Turin, 1938. For Ginia (Yle Vianello), who has just moved from the countryside to the city, the future seems to hold endless possibilities. Like all girls her age, she wants to fall in love and begins a relationship with a young painter. Then she meets the beautiful Amelia (Deva Cassel, daughter of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel). Amelia, who introduces Ginia to Turin’s bohemian art circles, is unlike anyone Ginia has ever met. She is provocative… sensual. An adventure. Torn between a sense of duty and the discovery of a desire that confuses her, Ginia is overwhelmed by her feelings for Amelia. During her “beautiful summer,” she finds the courage to be herself. The aesthetic of this finely observed coming-of-age study thrives on warm, slightly dreamlike images that capture the atmosphere of a summer—fleeting and formative at the same time. Light and color here act as filters of memory—soft, almost nostalgic, yet without succumbing to sentimentality. The film is particularly strong in its interstices: in glances, gestures, and moments of hesitation. The restrained direction creates a fragile intimacy that makes the characters’ uncertain longing palpable. Director Laura Luchetti has succeeded here in creating a poetic work that captures the fragility of first love—and finds a unique, haunting beauty precisely in that.