Summer Solstice (2015) User Reviews

almost a basket of stereotypes and not just from ww2

[IMdber · 5/10 · 18 February 2017]

The movie is set in a beautiful atmosphere of the summer, the atmosphere conducive to lightness and romantic feelings, especially for late teens, even if it is war time.

Though director/writer supposedly tries to take a different, polish look at what is happening, a lot of things are really strange, coming out of nowhere, maybe its magic of the summer night: why are people almost randomly shot (either by Russians or by Germans, even Nazis seemed to exercise some restraint)? why are good proper girls having sex on the first encounter? why is there a Jewish girl from Warszaw there? (when apparently the Jewish issue was long solved), why is she demanding something? why are there Russian partisans in polish forest (especially, if its western part of Poland)? etc. etc. etc. This might had been a nice movie about German/Polish youth coming together over their love for forbidden American music and polish life at that time, but with all the other random war things thrown in, what is left? A piece that seems to be more exploitative than revealing, with familiar topics of "Russian rape" and holocaust thrown in too casually and looking too painfully wrong in this movie.

Hm.

[blumdeluxe · 6/10 · 7 June 2018]

"Letnie przesilenie" tells the story of several young persons, who meet in Poland at wartime and whose lives will forever be affected by this grave war. It shows how different cultures meet, how politics tear apart relationships, childhoods and adolescence.

The movie is one in a row of many titles that more or less share a common topic. Of course each and every story is an individual one and thus worth being told, however, in terms of filmmaking there is not much that seperates this film from the others and makes it seem special. The production and acting is solid, the movie looks worthy and is by any standard qualified for the big screen. But it seems a bit out of time to make it seem like only the high-ranked officials were cruel under the NS-regime and to portray German soldiers as sensitive individuals who are just desperate and affraid. A little less stereotypes and calculated personal struggles would have benefited the plot.

All in all this is worth a watch, even though it is not an outstanding work. Many people will like it and I didn't even get the ending totally, so I shouldn't be the one to prevent you from giving it a try.

Disturbing revisionism

[hof-4 · 2/10 · 29 December 2017]

The movie opens in a small town of Southeastern Poland in 1943, under German occupation. The German soldiers apparently live in bucolic harmony with the locals and are depicted as rather nice fellows; in their first scene they devoutly thank the Lord for the meal they are about to receive. Some are bumbling, cute incompetents in the mold of the TV Nazis in Hogan's Heroes. There are no Jews around, of course; this is explained away as follows: they were taken care of by the Einsatzgruppen (the SS death squads). This implicitly perpetuates the canard that only the SS death squads, not the Wehrmacht itself were responsible for atrocities against civilians in Poland and other Eastern European countries. This myth was exploded in many sources, among them the documentary The Unknown Soldier (2006) by Michael Verhoeven.

Partisans are depicted as murderous psychopathic interlopers and such nagging questions as summary execution of civilians for partisan actions (or for any other reason) are glossed over or attributed to a single Nazi officer straight out of Hollywood Central Casting, Department Bad Nazis. In one of the first scenes a Pole voices his approval of the murder of Jews. Yes, there were many antisemitic Poles, but there were also many that protected, assisted and in many cases saved fugitive Jews. And, at any rate, Polish Jews were murdered by Germans, not by Poles. Auschwitz was planned, staffed and run by Germans.

There have been German movies where Nazi crimes during WWII are discreetly swept under the rug. At least, there is an element of self-interest here. However, it is disturbing to see this in a Polish movie, since six million Poles died in a war that began with the totally unprovoked invasion of Poland by Germany. Its even more disturbing (but a lot more understandable) if one takes into account that this is a Polish - German coproduction.

Particularly recommended for those outside Poland who cannot conceive of how it was

[jrarichards · 8/10 · 9 December 2017]

Potentially and ostensibly wistful, romantic and attractive-looking, Michal Rogalski's "Letnie przesilenie" (meaning "Summer Solstice") is actually a tough enough watch, if one perhaps offering little that is new to Polish filmgoers, unlike those elsewhere in the world who will (should) hopefully be enlightened a bit more as to how wartime Poland looked and lived and operated, while also acquainting themselves with the complex and frank narrative style and attention to detail so typical of the traditional Polish film-making.

Now there is no question that rural Poland during the War was a little different from the cities. Here we have summer 1943 presented (significantly, since this is just after the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising but before the main Warsaw Uprising of late summer and early autumn 1944). Nevertheless, the then city life in Poland - with routine presence of Gestapo and SS, and hence endless seizures of ordinary Poles and more or less randomised executions of tens of them per week on the streets - gave every reason for overriding hatred of Germans among Poles.

This is of course to say nothing of the yet-worse things happening in the Jewish Ghettos enforced by the Occupant in all main cities.

In contrast, German forces in the countryside - where the pace of life was obviously a bit slower - were billeted rather than in barracks, and (I have it on good authority that) it was just unrealistic for Germans and Poles in such close proximity to say nothing to one another or interact in no way at all for 4 years! All the more so as not every German in uniform was a raging Nazi.

Indeed, many were basically farm-boys themselves.

Hence, in this film, the Polish woman who comes in to cook for the Occupants does indeed help the very young German soldier Guido (Jonas Ney) to wipe some food off his uniform, while her younger assistant Franka (played by Urszula Bogucka) can't help but fancy him a little, even as - understandably enough - an interest is also being shown in her by young Polish railway worker Romek (Filip Piotrowicz) - whose ascent into a more assertive adulthood is also a topic of the film.

And the three younger people here - on two opposing sides and of two sexes - share an interest in modern jazz and swing music that is in fact the reason for Guido to be in uniform in the first place (he was punished by enlistment for listening to stuff the Nazis classed as "decadent").

Nevertheless, random killings are possible even here, and are in fact participated in by both Germans and Russians. While the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact allowing the two empires to carve up Poland and murder millions of Poles was history by 1943, we are led to believe that partisan Russians were still active in Poland, and might (true to the established tradition) kill resident Poles just as soon as invading Germans.

Uniting all sides here is advantage-taking in regard to the mysterious trains that keep passing through the rural area - in fact transports of Jewish people to camps. Pieces of clothing and other items occasionally drop on to the line, and the Germans use these cynically and more-knowingly, while the Poles do so more out of pressing need - yet they still do so.

Occasionally, a person manages to escape from a train, and that brings us to the haunting portrayal of a desperate escapee called Bunia (played by Maria Semotiuk). She is helped by - and willing to fraternise with - Romek, but is ultimately taken (sadly and typically in every sense of that word) by the Russians, with whom she opts to throw in her lot (she has little choice in the matter, naturally, but clearly sees time spent with such captors as slightly preferable to the alternative of near-certain recapture by the Germans and an awful death).

Ultimately, the brief music-sharing idyll put in place between the male and female Polish leads and the young German goes pear-shaped, and Guido is foolish enough to plead with his unpleasant officer (well-played by Steffen Scheumann) by offering to carry out any order he is given. Typically - and authentically enough - the Oberleutnant chooses to re-establish his authority over the insubordinate Guido by insisting that he shoots the lovely young Polish girl Franka he has been kissing so very few minutes before.

It's an appropriate and all-too-realistic end of any possible touch of innocence between enemies that the Polish countryside might conceivably have allowed for, in a film that - rightly enough - represents the fruits of 21st-century Polish-German cooperation. It's sad (also rightly enough), a bit through-provoking, and indeed made in line with many of the great traditions of more-profound Polish film-making.

And it ought to be watched by far more people in the West than are ever likely to actually see it.

Disturbing revisionism?!? Oh my...

[walloschke_breslau · 10/10 · 2 April 2020]

I just watched the film and feel that I have to react to the review by hof-4, who, unfortunately, got just about everything wrong and perceived it as anti-Polish and pro German revisionism written and directed by a Pole (a bizarre thought to start with, right?). Here a few corrections:

1. "The German soldiers apparently live in bucolic harmony with the locals and are depicted as rather nice fellows; in their first scene they devoutly thank the Lord for the meal they are about to receive. Some are bumbling, cute incompetents in the mold of the TV Nazis in Hogan's Heroes."

We do not see many people in the film. Of the Polish locals, one is killed by what you called "a nice fellow". They also kill two people they find in the woods. Probably that is jews though. So I will get back to that later. As for the German soldiers, we get to know three of them a little more. The ruthless Oberleutnant, who personally kills two people (the supposed jews) and has people murdering three more, including burning a woman with a baby. Then we have Odi. Who does not seem like a killing machine but wants to do his job in order to not get into trouble. And to be able to see his wife and kid again. Then we have Guido, who is the only one not functioning. Who at too young age is at the front because he was caught listening to Jazz at home. The "bumbling cute incompent". Do you serioulsy think that no one like that can have existed? The no German soldiers had any doubts about atrocities? To depict that would have been wildy inacurate stereoptypes. Many were traumatised by these things as well. Anyway, back to the film. All the others (like the Feldwebel), we just know that they do what they have to do. The former Oberleutnant apparently was a drunk (it is mentioned) who did not made the whole thing seem a bit like a holiday. Nevertheless, we do get to know that these soldiers did kill jews on patrol even then. So what did you want to see? None of the Germans you see are depicted as innocent. They kill people. And if you think that all German soldiers were just fanatic killing machines you are wrong. Many also were like Odi - they did as they were told, even when it came to killing Jews and civilians. Which does not make them innocent. That is how war works. And no, the film does not indicate that all but one are nice blokes. You have three types: The fanatic, the one following orders and the one not wanting to follow orders but still doing it (Guido kills three people). About the rest of the German soldiers it's all speculation. We know they killed Jews before. Not much more. The Feldwebel screams at Guido and Odi. But we do not know him either.

2. "This implicitly perpetuates the canard that only the SS death squads, not the Wehrmacht itself were responsible for atrocities against civilians in Poland and other Eastern European countries."

Nonsense. We see six jews in the film. Five of them are killed. Two are shot, a mother with a baby is burned alive. So much about "nice people". Another one dies by the river (he had jumped off the death train). Only the sixth one is lucky. We also get to know that one Polish man wanted to help two jews but he was too late - they were shot by these nice German soldiers patrolling. Also, the death camp is close. Trains must have arrived recently. Clothes can still be found. And we get to see four jews (or two, in case the two shot in the woods were Polish civilians) who were on the run.

3. "Partisans are depicted as murderous psychopathic interlopers."

Where did see you these? The girl Bunia is a jew, not a partisan. Neither is she a psychopath. She lost her family. But I guess you mean the Soviets in the end. No partisans. You got something wrong here.

4. "...and such nagging questions as summary execution of civilians for partisan actions (or for any other reason) are glossed over or attributed to a single Nazi officer straight out of Hollywood Central Casting, Department Bad Nazis."

It's a 90 mins film. It won't tell whole story of WWII in Poland. About partisans there is nothing. We only see a very limited amount of people in the film, which tells the story of mainly three people. Polish civilians we see about 10. Of them, it is one being shot. Or three, if the two in the woods are Polish who just happened to be at the wrong place. Romek is lucky he makes it.

5. "In one of the first scenes a Pole voices his approval of the murder of Jews. Yes, there were many antisemitic Poles, but there were also many that protected, assisted and in many cases saved fugitive Jews. And, at any rate, Polish Jews were murdered by Germans, not by Poles. Auschwitz was planned, staffed and run by Germans."

Then you should also remember that in the beginning Leon mentions Poles hiding Jews. Plus, Romek helps Bunia. Plus Karpiuk helps hiding Bunia. And we get to know that he tried to help others before. And you reduce the message of the film to one Pole voicing his approval of the murder of Jews? You have to be kidding me. About the film making clear who killed Jews, go back to point 2.

What I find disturbing is that you did not understand the film. Many things you missed, other things you got wrong.

I suggest you watch it again. Perhaps then you can understand how a Polish writer and director could make such a film. A film that is not revisionist at all.

Excellent and exquisite film-making

[michaelmalak-01539 · 8/10 · 5 April 2020]

I give the movie 8 stars. Withholding 2 stars only for failure to "entertain" in the way spoiled brats like myself have come to expect being amused but everything being shown on the silver screen.