The Summer with Carmen

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The Summer with Carmen

2023

1h 46m

Comedy

Romance

LGBTQ+

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Popcornmeter

88%

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17 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

While enjoying a day at Athens' queer beach, 30-something Demosthenes offers to help his bestie and aspiring filmmaker Nikitas in drafting an idea for his feature debut, inspired by the events surrounding a certain dog named Carmen. Two summers ago, Demosthenes was stuck in Athens dealing with health issues of his father. This serves as an excuse to reach out to his ex, Panos. Meanwhile, Panos got the overly cute Carmen, something he soon regretted. Likewise, Demosthenes seems to have regretted breaking up with Panos. Or did he not? Struggling to transform real events into a hero's journey, the two friends question the no.1 rule of script writing theory -- the hero that changes -- while turning a page in their long-lasting friendship.

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Jonathan Romney

Financial Times

The Summer with Carmen plays like a comedy version of Alain Guiraudie’s 2013 cruising drama Stranger by the Lake, with a dash of early, scrappier Almodóvar.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 6, 2025

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

For something as frothy and seemingly frivolous as it is, the film also delivers crisply observed characters and fully lived-in relationships.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 3, 2025

Full Review

Catherine Bray

Guardian

It's easy on the eyes in more ways than one, and while there's fun to be had with the meta conceit, it's not a taxing intellectual exercise.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 24, 2025

Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

Examining the unreliability of memory and proximity's tendency to distort perspective, this often feels like an Almodóvarian refit of a classical Greek comedy.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2025

Full Review

Ben Turner

The Pink Lens

This is a director playing with narrative and form, but that doesn’t quite cut it in terms of just telling us a good story. There’s no doubt this sweet, fizzy and sexy, but it’s about as satisfying as a lollipop.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 30, 2025

Full Review

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

With a lesser canine star, the film would not have worked, but Nala is sensational.

Rated: 4.5/5

Mar 17, 2025

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Zacharias Mavroeidis

Director

Yorgos Tsiantoulas

Demosthenes

Andreas Labropoulos

Nikitas

Nikolaos Mihas

Panos

Vasilis Tsigristaris

Thymios

Roubini Vasilakopoulou

Keti

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Synopsis

While enjoying a day at Athens' queer beach, 30-something Demosthenes offers to help his bestie and aspiring filmmaker Nikitas in drafting an idea for his feature debut, inspired by the events surrounding a certain dog named Carmen. Two summers ago, Demosthenes was stuck in Athens dealing with health issues of his father. This serves as an excuse to reach out to his ex, Panos. Meanwhile, Panos got the overly cute Carmen, something he soon regretted. Likewise, Demosthenes seems to have regretted breaking up with Panos. Or did he not? Struggling to transform real events into a hero's journey, the two friends question the no.1 rule of script writing theory -- the hero that changes -- while turning a page in their long-lasting friendship.

Director: Zacharias Mavroeidis
Producer: Ioanna Bolomyti, Lina Giannopoulou, Zacharias Mavroeidis
Screenwriter: Zacharias Mavroeidis, Fondas Chalatsis
Production Co: Ekome, Atalante Productions S.A., Argonauts Productions S.A.
Genre: Comedy, Romance, LGBTQ+
Original Language: Greek
Runtime: 1h 46m

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