The Summer with Carmen

This is an incredibly well-constructed movie, brimming with irony and following the tragic yet thought-provoking patterns reminiscent of ancient philosophers like Plato. The narrative subtly explores the complexities of human emotions, where the love between the main characters remains purely platonic, highlighting themes of connection beyond the physical.

A special mention goes to the dog, who delivered a surprisingly nuanced performance. Her presence is not just charming but integral to the plot, adding emotional depth and symbolizing loyalty and companionship in ways that enhance the storytelling.

The film's unique sense of humor stands out, masterfully blending subtle wit with a post-ironic visual narrative that keeps the audience engaged. This clever approach elevates the movie, offering layers of meaning that invite reflection long after the credits roll.

I give it an extra 100 out of 100 for its brilliance-both in its humor and innovative narrative structure. It's been over 100 minutes of pure cinematic delight, leaving me entertained and impressed in equal measure.

I think one of the important things about this movie is how brave is. You must have balls to direct such scenes and also the actor to be comfortable to make them. Of course this is European movie. Wondering when the UK and America can do such movie without getting in trouble with the society.

Very well done. I wish more people see in cinema now in the UK. There were a few in there. I guess it's still a problem because of the subtitles.

Also i really liked the dialogues. Many people from the LGBTQ+ community can relate to that. Beautifully filmed and great locations chosen.

If you go back in time you will find great Greek movies.

Demos looks like he walked straight out of an ancient Greek vase (definitely a big 'eye candy' element in selling the film), but inside he's an ordinary man like you and me. He's full of fibs and little hypocrisy, and loses his clarity as he often lets his cock think for his head. But he's not a bad guy. He just wants a piece of happiness for himself, that's all... like you and me.

Now, how can one turn such an ordinary summer of an ordinary guy into an entertaining film? Enters Nikitas, an aspiring director. But alas, he is not a genius who can magically turn this ordinary summer into a masterpiece either - he is full of his own little hang-ups and broken expectations too. The film uses their struggling of making a coherent script out of their life as the frame. It's an interesting self-mockery from the film maker's part.

But the end result is well put together and entertaining. There are lots of elements but it never lets itself get too serious. There are plenty of humour, handsome guys and sexy scenes to keep you entertained. Some moments came across as trying to be too clever (like the little moment of mock-musical), but overall it stays within its frame of the ordinary people trying to turn their ordinary story into a film. But as an ordinary guy full of little BS myself, there definitely was something to take from it.

Certainly worth a look.

When Robert Rosson and Robert Parrish had way too much footage to work with editing the (eventual) Oscar-winning ALL THE KING'S MEN, they hit upon the idea of finding the central moment of each scene, then cutting out everything that wasn't 100 feet before or after that moment.

The creative team for this movie should have done something similar. There's way too much establishing and throat-clearing at the beginning of every scene, and way too much resolution and tying up loose ends at the finish of every scene.

When you add to this that the characters aren't developed so there's no one to care for, the movie becomes a big bore. I was disappointed. The only thing that kept me watching was the possibility of more on-screen nudity.

If you watch an heap of gay cinema, especially from South America, then this kind of story isn't really that novel. There are plenty where hunky heroes like "Demos" (Yorgos Tsiantoilas) has a best mate "Nikitas" (Andreas Labropoulos) - who is obviously quite keen on his pal who doesn't really reciprocate in the way he wants, and who takes advantage of the local nudist beach and fairly vibrant gay community to get naked for much of the film and get down to some furious jogging with "Thymios" (Vasilis Tsigristaris) whilst on the rebound from a four year relationship with "Panos" (Nikolaos Mihas) with whom he looks after their dog "Carmen". Still with me? Well what now ensues is a rather predicable plot wrapped within the concept that the first two characters are thinking of writing a movie about this emotionally charged scenario. Along the way, there is plenty of soul-searching as just about everyone has to deal with their demons and hopefully emerge the better person. There's a much more continental-style dose of casual shagging that might raise eyebrows amongst those more used to a more Anglicised take on sex with subtle cutaways and perfectly placed pot plants (though it's not quite "Theo and Hugo" (2016) either). It's really a film about finding yourself and seeing what's squarely in front of you, but by using the film-making arc to give the audience a degree of observational objectiveness, it rather made me feel like a prurient fly on a wall where I didn't always belong (or care). The acting is natural and adequate, it's beautifully shot and there are plenty of rousing arias to enliven it, but I'm afraid I found it just a bit over-complicated and unoriginal.