Chicago International Film Festival Review
Before Summer Ends
When I was reading synopsis’ for the films I was
planning to see for this festival, one in particular caught my eye. “Before
Summer Ends” is a French film that was described as a French-Iranian “Hangover.”
There are three friends who decide to travel around southern France before the
summer ends and one goes back to Iran to study. How could I pass up a film that
is described as a French-Iranian version of “The Hangover?”
Personally, I wouldn’t describe the film as any type
of version of Todd Phillips modern comedic masterpiece. Sure, it’s a movie
about a guy trip. Sure, it’s a comedy and it did make me laugh. But it’s far
away from style, tone and mood for “The Hangover” that trying to compare the
two almost feels like comparing apples to oranges. “Before Summer Ends” is
nowhere near as outrageous as “The Hangover” was. But you what? Good. There is
such a rush to make everything just like everything else, it’s almost like
everyone is afraid of originality these days. There is such a need for the
nostalgia factor, even for things that really aren’t that old, that it amazes
me that we can really internalize anything. I like that this was something
different than what was expected.
For starters, this is apparently a documentary. Arash
is really Arash, Ashkan is really Ashkan and Hossein is really Hossein. They
really go on a huge vacation across sunny France before the summer really ends,
and Arash goes back to school. They swim, they eat good food, they meet a group
of girls and try and charm them. Not in a harassing or gross way, but in a
charming, innocent way. This really something you could take your family to if
it weren’t for all the subtitles. The men talk about the weather, the stars,
their dreams, their desires, their lives and how much they’ve changed. When the
girls go on their way, they talk about what they could have done better in
order to charm them.
I think no matter if you are a girl or a boy, you can
find this film relatable, and I think since we are watching three real friends
having a vacation, it’s even more relatable. Growing up, I had some the same
conversations with my guy friends about girls we liked, how we tried to swoon
our crushes and what we could have done better. I have never discussed
nicknames for the three different types of farts like Arash, Ashkan and Hossein
do here, but I am sure I said something similar. These are such identifiable behaviors,
and there is nothing like that special bond with your close friends, people you’ve
known forever. There is a special bond with life-long friends of the same sex
that is a different but vital type of closeness you can’t get with a significant
other.
There is plenty to laugh at here, but it’s nothing
outrageous. “Before Summer Ends” was nothing like I thought it would be, but I
was happy about that. It’s fun making a documentary that isn’t revolving around
a serious subject, not that those bigger, more important documentaries aren’t
important, but there is so much you can learn about culture and human
experience from a movie like “Before Summer Ends” that I couldn’t help but love
it as much as I did. I’d keep an eye out for this one folks, even though I have
no idea when mainstream audiences will get a look at it. This may be a foreign
language title, but the thoughts, ideas and themes are universal.
FINAL GRADE: A
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