Summer

The astounding performance of Marie Rivière as a lonely woman searching for company—yet unwilling to compromise—grounds this airy, ephemeral Rohmer tale, winner of Best Film at the 1986 Venice Film Festival. It’s summertime in France and the proud, outspoken Delphine finds herself lacking a vacation partner. Her travels through France and awkward attempts to meet people frame the story, but Summer is more a feeling than a narrative. Rohmer surrounds the story and Delphine with the sounds of isolation: the wind, the ocean, footsteps on pavement, murmurs of other people’s conversations, overheard just enough to keep hope alive.