Express News Service
At its very basic, La Bella Estate (The Beautiful Summer) by Laura Luchetti, based on the Italian writer Cesare Pavese’s novel by the same name, is all about finding freedom; from what the world expects of us and the self-imposed limitations within which we often bind ourselves. Ironically, it happens to be set in Turin in the late 1930s, the Italy of the fascist era. However, politics remains in the background, a radio broadcast wafting in from the neighbouring window, and doesn’t interfere with the journey of the film’s leading lady, young Ginia (Yile Yara Vianello).
The film unfolds from Ginia’s point of view, who, along with her brother Severino (Nicolas Maupass), moves from the countryside to the city to seek a better future for herself. She works as a seamstress; he does odd jobs, and they hang out with a cosy set of friends. A chance entry of model Amelia (Deva Cassel) into the group disrupts its harmony for a while, scorches their balmy summer outing by the lake and turns Ginia’s life upside down. The bohemian Amelia inspires a reluctant Ginia to let her hair down. She introduces her to the many artists she poses for. It’s a wild and wanton world with Amelia’s licentiousness leading Ginia to surrender to her baser instincts. But more than being a temptress, Amelia is the force of nature that helps Ginia find an identity of her own. It makes her connect with her somnolent femininity, gives vent to her repressed desires and sends her on a quest to be seen and loved by others.
Luchetti’s film starts off promisingly but loses some steam on the way and eventually almost derails with a sentimental twist and maudlin moments coming to the surface in the tale of carefree friendships and amour. But not all is entirely lost. There’s something timeless and universal about the world of paintings and portrait-making that the film delves into. The urgency to be seen through the eyes of the artist and be represented by his stencils and brushes becomes like a validation and celebration of your own self. The need for recognition and approval that holds true of people in any place, day and age is what Ginia also craves for.
While the film loses out a lot on the much-desired spirit and sensuality, with its patchy narrative, it gains in gravitas from a superbly layered performance from Yile Yara Vianello. Delicately expressive, she carries it all the way deftly with her petite frame, frail presence and big, beautiful eyes. She is equally adept at being inhibited just as she is at becoming unrestrained, tender and fearless at the same time. You can see her grow on screen even while making wrong choices and buckling under peer pressure. The Beautiful Summer is her show all the way.
Giving her good company is Deva Cassel, all oomph and glamour in the role that is a bit of a stereotyping of the modern, profligate woman. Deva, incidentally, happens to be the daughter of popular actors Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel and will be seen soon in a Netflix series adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s 1963 classic The Leopard in which she’d be reprising the role originally played by the diva Claudia Cardinale.
More than the Ginia-Amelia affinity, what lifts the film is the sibling equation of Severino and Ginia. Protective, concerned but hands off, he lets her go on the journey away from himself even though it means she wouldn’t be around to celebrate her birthday with him, that the candle will remain unlit, the cake uncut and the gift unopened. Yet when she is back in the fold, after her new experiences, he’s around to share a cigarette with his grown-up kid sister.
At its very basic, La Bella Estate (The Beautiful Summer) by Laura Luchetti, based on the Italian writer Cesare Pavese’s novel by the same name, is all about finding freedom; from what the world expects of us and the self-imposed limitations within which we often bind ourselves. Ironically, it happens to be set in Turin in the late 1930s, the Italy of the fascist era. However, politics remains in the background, a radio broadcast wafting in from the neighbouring window, and doesn’t interfere with the journey of the film’s leading lady, young Ginia (Yile Yara Vianello).
The film unfolds from Ginia’s point of view, who, along with her brother Severino (Nicolas Maupass), moves from the countryside to the city to seek a better future for herself. She works as a seamstress; he does odd jobs, and they hang out with a cosy set of friends. A chance entry of model Amelia (Deva Cassel) into the group disrupts its harmony for a while, scorches their balmy summer outing by the lake and turns Ginia’s life upside down. The bohemian Amelia inspires a reluctant Ginia to let her hair down. She introduces her to the many artists she poses for. It’s a wild and wanton world with Amelia’s licentiousness leading Ginia to surrender to her baser instincts. But more than being a temptress, Amelia is the force of nature that helps Ginia find an identity of her own. It makes her connect with her somnolent femininity, gives vent to her repressed desires and sends her on a quest to be seen and loved by others.
Luchetti’s film starts off promisingly but loses some steam on the way and eventually almost derails with a sentimental twist and maudlin moments coming to the surface in the tale of carefree friendships and amour. But not all is entirely lost. There’s something timeless and universal about the world of paintings and portrait-making that the film delves into. The urgency to be seen through the eyes of the artist and be represented by his stencils and brushes becomes like a validation and celebration of your own self. The need for recognition and approval that holds true of people in any place, day and age is what Ginia also craves for.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
While the film loses out a lot on the much-desired spirit and sensuality, with its patchy narrative, it gains in gravitas from a superbly layered performance from Yile Yara Vianello. Delicately expressive, she carries it all the way deftly with her petite frame, frail presence and big, beautiful eyes. She is equally adept at being inhibited just as she is at becoming unrestrained, tender and fearless at the same time. You can see her grow on screen even while making wrong choices and buckling under peer pressure. The Beautiful Summer is her show all the way.
Giving her good company is Deva Cassel, all oomph and glamour in the role that is a bit of a stereotyping of the modern, profligate woman. Deva, incidentally, happens to be the daughter of popular actors Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel and will be seen soon in a Netflix series adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s 1963 classic The Leopard in which she’d be reprising the role originally played by the diva Claudia Cardinale.
More than the Ginia-Amelia affinity, what lifts the film is the sibling equation of Severino and Ginia. Protective, concerned but hands off, he lets her go on the journey away from himself even though it means she wouldn’t be around to celebrate her birthday with him, that the candle will remain unlit, the cake uncut and the gift unopened. Yet when she is back in the fold, after her new experiences, he’s around to share a cigarette with his grown-up kid sister.
