Un été inoubliable (1994) - film review

In 1925, Captain Dumitriu is obliged to ask for a transfer to another unit when his wife rejects the advances of his superior.  Arriving in a remote frontier post on the banks of the Danube, Dumitriu’s first task is to round up some local Bulgarian peasants after some soldiers are murdered by Macedonian bandits.  Whilst he awaits the orders to have the peasants shot, his wife befriends them and employs them as gardeners on her land.  In the end, Dumitriu has to make a terrible choice between his wife’s wishes and his duty as a Romanian soldier.

Un été inoubliable is the work of acclaimed Romanian director Lucian Pintilie.  It is an unusual period piece which stars Kristin Scott Thomas amongst an otherwise entirely Romanian cast.  On the plus side, the film is beautifully filmed, with some stunning location shots which convey the raw beauty of the Romanian setting.  The acting is generally rather good, although Ms Thomas’ radiant personality eclipses all around her, weakening somewhat the contribution of her co-stars.

Whilst the film’s unsophisticated charm manages to engage its spectator to some extent, the narrative doesn’t really convey a great deal of emotion.   The film is let down by some uninspired direction and a rather pedestrian script and, consequently, the ending fails to deliver the impact it should.  That said, the film does exude a raw humanity which succeeds in arousing our sympathy, albeit with considerably less force than the story it relates merits.

© James Travers 2004

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