Summer Coda

Just saw "Summer Coda" at the Harmony Gold theater in Hollywood. It is a thoroughly enjoyable movie, it's not an action-packed shoot'em up story but a beautifully crafted character study. Rachael Taylor is a real star in the making, and through her chance encounters on her journey we get to meet a group of diverse and lovable individuals. You really like these people and are interested in who they are, what makes them tick and where they're going. It's like meeting new friends and sharing their journey from first frame to last. The photography and settings add color and beauty to a really good film. Friends and family are the building blocks of life as demonstrated in "Summer Coda".

a beautiful, heartwarming story about a man's struggle with himself and a past that haunts him. We go on a journey with him through twists and turns that we don't really understand until the end. It's a story that slowly pulls the viewer into it's world. The actors all inhabit their roles wonderfully. The lead actor picks up this girl on the road and we think we know how the journey will end until both leads face themselves and what's in front of them right now. No one can escape their pasts and Director Grey takes the time to tell the story in the old fashion way of film making that touches the heart and celebrates the triumph of love and the human spirit.

Rachel Taylor is outstanding in all her scenes. The camera loves her and we love her back. We long for her longing and feel her frustration.

All the actors are perfectly cast. The location is beautiful.

Complex characters unfolding. Drawn in with the compelling storyline throughout, like peeling back an onion. Loved the intense depth of characters with beautiful scenery. Understated characters develop with a subdued intensity. Okay, and I just totally was absorbed and really loved it! Can see why it won a major award at Melbourne Film Festival. See this true Aussie movie. Quality is right up there with the quality of any Hollywood intriguing film. Rachel Taylor has yet to tap into her full potential and will be a major star ala Meryl Streep. Alex Dimitriades shows a depth that we just want more and more of. This writer / director put 7 years into this movie and it was well worth his time, effort, and focus. It just all comes together and feels right.

I thought this was a really lovely film, romantic, visually beautiful, interesting characters, I especially loved the friendships in the orange grove. An emotionally moving film. It's nice for a change to relax into another way of life and experience a story without guns, crime and action...also the emphasis was on love, can we break through our old pain and begin again. I loved when the male lead went to the US to meet up with the girl again and it ended simply getting out of the cab. There were a lot of suggested ideas, understated dialogue, music carried us and carried on the love between the girl and her father. I also admire the makers of the film for getting the finance independently, not depending on the Australian government, which in my opinion can stick to it's favorites. I wish the director and makers of the movie lots of success.

The locations and sets, both in and outdoors, create an earthy, transcendent backdrop to this engaging story. A man and a woman have suffered deep emotional pain--hearts aching from loves tragically lost--one in childhood, the other so recent that the pain becomes palpable, yet the heart-warming serendipity they experience with family and friends makes this tale truly satisfying. Camera work, apparently done on a de minimis budget, captures the beauty of Australian orange orchard lands set amidst the bucolic environs of Mildura, Victoria, Australia, creating a deep urge to call Quantas for a flight down under! The Flashbacks that interlace the unfolding relationship of the naturally stunning Heidi with the brooding yet engaging Michael, opened their hearts and souls such that I felt as if two new people had come into my life--at least for one truly enjoyable evening!