Frans G
PRO
- Beautiful protagonists who come across as believable
- Warm intimate and joyful scenes, courtesy of the female director and the protagonists
- The best therapy is someone who cares and loves you and listens to you
- Sensitively filmed
- The film gets better once you see it more often
CONTRA
- No real insight into the characters and their fears and desires and traumas
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
04/12/24
Full Review
david l
Whatever The Summer of Sangaile lacks in terms of storytelling and characterization, it compensates that with its very poetic, sensual and lightweight tone that is perfectly accompanied by a lovely score and gorgeously sunny and bright photography. This is one of those movies that are are that strong in the overall storyline, but are memorable as a series of charming and sweet moments peppered throughout.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A comet in the snow.
It can't get any more beautiful than this. I have seen many lesbian films, but this one was like a result of when a poet and an artist comes together. It was so poetic, as well as an enchanting video portrait. Not everything in the film was pleasant, I mean not the romance parts, but you know self hurting parts as one got depressed in their life. That's where it all begins, an awesomely written screenplay where most of the film remains dialogueless. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the stunning cinematography and a cute little romance the blends with that.
This is a Lithuanian film, but internationally co-produced. It won some awards at the various film festivals. It was officially selected as the Lithuanian entry for the 88th American Academy Awards, but did not make it. Written and directed by a woman filmmaker and this is her second feature film. I hope she makes more films like this with characters with emotions, then she will be in my watch out list. There's no comparable with any other lesbian film as many people doing. This is a very unique, especially in the storytelling segment. Most importantly, anybody with no objection on some sex-romance will do understand and appreciated the artistic presenstation of this film.
The title itself a plot line. So you know the storyline, but for how it all happens need to be watched. Sangaile is in her summer holiday, spending time with her parents in a rural villa. Near the house, there's an airfield where some spectacular display taking place, she instantly falls in love with that. That's where she meets a girl named Auste, who seems very interested in her. So later they decide to hang out and do the stuffs. After a few meets, with ups and downs, there relationship intensely grows, but how far it goes and how the story ends was told in the remaining parts.
"You know nobody will understand you better than me."
Not the entire film is about the romance that jumps into the bed. There are some messages, like how one influence the other one to change her character. Like depressed and lost, and got no idea about the future, a new hope rises like a sun for the new day after a long winter. The romance between two different social classes and their field of interest, all those fills the film on all the sides with its own colours like a Rubik's cube. The other advantage was the greatly ignoring the common clichés, especially from a lesbian film aspect.
Films are collections of many things. From the actors to filmmakers to technicians and locations, when these all get together accurately, a beautiful product like this emerges. That's where it succeeded. First the actors, everyone, but the majority of the tale focused between the two characters and those two were brilliant. They executed so perfectly as it was real. You won't get that kind of great chemistry in all the romance film you watch. There are many moments that feels like it was paused, in a good sense as a romantic, as well as visually.
Then comes the locations. As it is set in the rural, they explored the landscapes excellently. They were not intended to give preferences on those, but while capturing the film scenes, they used some interesting angles to get those beautiful backgrounds. As I said earlier, the images talk more than the film characters. The music score was also very good. The overall film looks like a touch of the 60s or 70s, but there's no any clarifications about the timeline. Seeing the lifestyle, all the gadgets et cetera, it is obviously a modern day tale.
Observe everything carefully in the film. The film characters, the story, as well as production design was very simple. Like they did not spend much for making it. Yet it delivered big. Sadly, this is not a well recognised film, not much from LGBT film fanatic friends as well. I haven't seen many Lithuanian films, but surely this is one of the best from that region I have seen. You know who's the target audience for this, but the film is too good, so I hope you make a right choice. Though it is for adults, there's nothing much serious to consider in the romance/sex/nudity parts, so the matured and open minded teens can try this. Recommended!
7.5/10
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The most wonderful film ,I'm a big fan of the film Sangaile, I admire everything bit about it, Julija Steponaityte and Aiste Dirziute acting is absolutely stunning, the cinematography is breathtaking and the music is so very lovely... such a astonishing, gorgeous film!
as it's one of my most favourite films
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
Audience Member
One of the most lush and beautiful coming of age stories I've ever seen. I caught this film at OutFest last year on a whim and was beyond moved by it. With a fantastic soundtrack and gorgeous cinematography, Alanté Kavaïté captures adolescence at its most pure and vulnerable. Fantastic film.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A film that shows well real love... With christian references all along (obviously unwillingly)... NUmber "3" represented all along in some details (the 3 bits of hair in the forehaid of sangaile under the shower, the 3 lines of flour in the forehead of Austé, the scar of her under the ribs like Christ's one, the letter Tau (in the Old Testament) on the wall in the aerodrome, etc...)... Very interesting movie where each part of the actress seemed close to reality.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
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