Carla Simón’s “Summer 1993”

Summer 1993 (Estiu 1993) (2017)

Telling a story of grief with a light touch and led by two amazing performances from its young actors, the film is one of the best depictions put to screen of the after effects of trauma and the healing process

After thoroughly enjoying Carla Simón’s sophomore effort “Alcarràs”, I returned to her feature debut autobiographical “Summer 1993” which is a delicate story of grief which despite bieng told through the eyes of a child is universal. Six year-old Frida(Laia Artigas) has lost her parents to AIDS and has been taken in by her uncle Esteve( David Verdaguer) and his wife Marga(Bruna Cusí) who have a daughter of their own, three year-old Anna (Paula Robles) in their farmhouse in Catalonia.

At first, Frida is suppressing her emotions as she settles in with the family. Scenes here echo Hayao Miyazaki’s “My Neighbour Totoro” with subtle hints that something is bubbling under the surface and in time, the film confronts the darker elements of trauma and childhood in a frank but realistic way. There are also elements of Heinrich Böll’s book The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum where Frida is more sympathetic when she’s alone than amongst others during which time she suppresses her feelings.

It can’t be understated what an achievement Simón has managed by getting the performances she does from the two young leads and the film hits the landing perfectly in its conclusion. Compelling, wise, multilayered and beautiful, “Summer 1993” masterfully tells a story that is cathartic and transcendent.