Summer (2008)

Simply Perfect

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

A big-hearted social realism which is a strong meditative piece of work, showing flashbacks of two kids then turning into teens, living on the same estate and spending their days getting always into trouble. The story dips in and out of the past, suggesting the source of current woes. As a portrait of stasis brought on by poverty and a study of abandon gone sour in the face of zero opportunities, this is an extremely sensitive stuff, even though there's little that ends up surprising. This movie hasn't been successful at all, though having a decent cast and handling very interesting themes, however it certainly deserves a good rate.

Robert Carlyle goes occasionally Begbie in this film (i.e a bit ranty and ragey, teetering on the vicious tip of violence) But mostly he's being kind and caring Robert Carlyle; a middle-aged low key loser with life seemingly finished even before it began.Where life got started up, consummated, then finished off was back in that hot lazy Summer 20 odd years ago. When he and teenage best mate Daz (Steve Evets) were swimming out at the lake, shagging their girlfriends. And then all too soon to go horribly, tragically, fatefully, wrong.Which Shaun and Daz appear to be paying for for/with the rest of their hopeless lives. Shaun has become (or has "had to become" more like) crippled Daz's full time carer. They continue to live no hope life's on the housing estate where they were brought up. They haven't gone anywhere or done anything. Only got older, sadder (in Daz's case drunker and iller) Robert Carlyle does a perfectly adequate job of sensitive, caring, introverted inadequacy; he does all the right kind of tight lipped mumbling inarticulacy to get you into sympathy with his role. But i still felt more inside Robert Carlyle acting the role than feeling genuinely engaged by the character of Shaun himself. This is the big problem of casting high profile stars in low key roles; they can never really get you away from who they are and into who they are pretending to be. Every where Shaun was i kept seeing Robert Carlyle inserting his little Robert Carlyle mannerisms and expressions. And this is another justification i have for watching foreign (non-English) films: you're seeing the actors and their acting for the first time usually, you haven't built up associations and identifications from previous films you've seen them in. Well, this is mostly true. (French films can also suffer from the same over familiarity) Anyway, Robert Carlye was OK – but somebody else – an obscure journeyman actor – would probably have been better. An actor like Steve Evetts in fact. Even though i'd seen him in that dopey Eric Cantona film – he was totally credible as foul mouthed embittered alcoholic cripple Daz. Spot on. The scene with him in the shower waiting to get washed, shouting and swearing – and then offering up his quiescent puny pale body in limp resignation – that brought a little gulp to my throat.Its possible they had to bring in Robert Carlyle to make the film a bit more of a bankable commodity. Which may have explained the anomalies going on: the actor playing teenage Shaun was about 6 ft 3! Far too big to shrink back into little Robert Carlyle as an adult. Big credibility gap there. And whats with the Scottish kid living in Lancashire? Why does he continue to have such a thick Glaswegian accent? Wouldn't that have been softened or modulated somewhat? (Btw, much of this young actors Glasge brogue is indecipherable – you're guessing at what he's saying half the time) Its possible the scripting had to be rejigged to accommodate a Scottish actor (Carlyle) Another small, but quite significant credibility bloop: the school fight scene; the director botched the camera angles on that one; the punching of the face looked totally faked and phony.It's a slow watch. Economic (with dialogue) and melancholic (with mood) The sound design and score work well to convey this mood of mourning, regretful, reminiscent, melancholy.I can see why most people wouldn't want to watch this (either at the cinema or at home) Too low key and too much like life lived like it ordinarily is: nothing much changing, without redemption, often determined by a single, tragic, throw off the dice. And nothing to be done. Except wait for life to be over with.

From Scottish BAFTA winning director Kenneth Glenaan (Magnificent 7, The Good Samaritan), I didn't really know what to expect from this film, only relying on the four star rating and leading actor. Basically Shaun (Scottish BAFTA nominated Robert Carlyle) has been living with and looking after his friend Daz (Steve Evets, who I recognised from an episode of Casualty featured in Harry Hill's TV Burp) ever since his horrible accident owing to his crippling. It all happened in the summer time, and in a series of flashbacks, we see how young Shaun (Matthew Workman, Sean Kelly) and Daz (Christopher Russell, Joe Doherty, Jo Doherty) spent this time. There were happy times spent int he sunshine, and with their friend, well, Shaun's love interest as well, Katy (Bethan Davies, Joanna Tulej). But there were also bad times, like Shaun being labelled as a bully, and he managed to drag his bad luck along with Daz, and of course it all ended tragically with Daz losing his ability to walk. Shaun has to face his past as Daz is on death's door, and he is reunited with Katy (Rachael Blake) as well, but in the end, the death happens, and Shaun tries to see what his future will be like, and whether he can have a happy summer again. Caryle makes quite a good lead, and Evets has his small moments as the crippled friend, it is a subtle film, but with near enough interesting moments to keep you hooked, so a worthwhile drama. It won the Scottish BAFTA for Best Feature Film. Good!

It tells the story of a small town. Of a few wild and good teenagers, of which few of them could not grow up no matter how hard they tried. It is a well written and well acted. It shows the nestled world of these two loyal friends and a girl. Some would be able to relate much more to this movie., but everyone will like it for the way it looks at the protagonist life. Its got some great shots and a simple but lovely background music. In a way the movie is a little sad, but also paints the beautiful picture of the mad/nice world some youngsters create for themselves, and then loose. In a way its the tale of a man who had most of what he needed at one point in time and later on none of it. But that's fine.