Notes on a Summer

For Marta, the film's main protagonist, a summer homecoming provides an opportunity to re-evaluate her life priorities. Is a stable relationship with Leo, with whom she recently moved to Madrid, a dream come true for a twenty-something-year-old girl? Or maybe a passionate holiday romance with Pablo, her boyfriend from years ago, could have a chance to grow into something more? Diego Llorente, however, doesn't push Marta's dilemmas to the foreground. His film, in line with its title, rather resembles a collection of fleeting memories, a record of ordinary, everyday events, unpretentious conversations, and erotic encounters. With its premiere screening at the Rotterdam Film Festival, the film delicately evokes the spirits of Éric Rohmer or Carla Simón, who, like Llorente, belong to the youthful generation of Spanish filmmakers. There are also distant echoes of American mumblecore in the film. But the film is best absorbed by taking a look at the main character's reading list, which includes Raymond Carver's short stories, Clarice Lispector's novel, and poems by John Berger. Poetic and naturalistic at the same time, Notes on a Summer becomes a tale of youthful passions and the uncertainty of tomorrow.