Fine French filmmaker Francois Ozon (SWIMMING POOL) in a lower gear but still not without interest. As the title and poster may indicate, this is a memory film. A story about a fateful summer and a relationship that changes everything in a young person's life. Looks can be a bit deceiving, however, as there is more than hazy lazy nostalgia at play.
Based on a novel by Aidan Chambers ('Dance on my Grave') the couple are Alexis (Felix Lefebvre) and David (Benjamin Voisin) two handsome teens who meet by accident in a Normandy seaside village. David's mother (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) also takes a liking to Alexis and invites him to work at her marine shop alongside her own son. The pair also meet up with a sprightly British au pair who strikes up a friendship with the two boys in order to improve her French!
Despite the sunny resort setting, the wistful period tunes by The Cure and Rod Stewart and the dreamy graininess of the 16mm film photography, Ozon (who also wrote the adaptation) never lets his film drift from it's serious themes of sexuality and responsibility. The small cast is very capable and the tone is consistent. Some of the writing isn't as sharp as it could have been and the flashback structure does keep it from fully building any story momentum. While there is darkness, there is always a promise of optimism that that fateful summer will lead to something to look back on with a certain fondness.
Based on a novel by Aidan Chambers ('Dance on my Grave') the couple are Alexis (Felix Lefebvre) and David (Benjamin Voisin) two handsome teens who meet by accident in a Normandy seaside village. David's mother (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) also takes a liking to Alexis and invites him to work at her marine shop alongside her own son. The pair also meet up with a sprightly British au pair who strikes up a friendship with the two boys in order to improve her French!
Despite the sunny resort setting, the wistful period tunes by The Cure and Rod Stewart and the dreamy graininess of the 16mm film photography, Ozon (who also wrote the adaptation) never lets his film drift from it's serious themes of sexuality and responsibility. The small cast is very capable and the tone is consistent. Some of the writing isn't as sharp as it could have been and the flashback structure does keep it from fully building any story momentum. While there is darkness, there is always a promise of optimism that that fateful summer will lead to something to look back on with a certain fondness.