Lesbian films – or, more broadly, wlw films – generally fall into two categories: ones that feature either happy or tragic endings for their lesbians. The former is sadly rarer, while the latter can encompass everything from compulsive heterosexuality, institutionalization and death. Catherine Corsini’s Summertime (La belle saison), however, expertly shirks the usual tropes and outright defies such simple categorization. In short, it’s a film with complex, well-developed characters, courtesy of Corsini and Laurette Polmanss’ script. Within the realm of LGBT cinema, Summertime‘s ultimate narrative ambiguity is strikingly fresh, but Corsini’s film also manages to do justice to its time period (the feminist movement in France circa 1971) and tell engaging stories of personal discovery.
Opening on the rural life of Delphine (Izïa Higelin), a young girl who helps maintain her father’s farm and field his questions about marriage, Summertime is very straightforward about its protagonist’s sexuality. Delphine is surrounded by farm girls who marry because it’s expected of them and also to satisfy the patriarchal status quo which dictates that only men may own and run farms. One such girl is Delphine’s “girlfriend,” or at least the girl she kisses by the fountain on her late night walks. Delphine’s reaction is to immediately move to Paris. Joining a feminist group was more or less an accident on her part. That was just the easiest way to spend more time with Carole (Cécile De France). And Delphine is hardly reserved about her feelings for the brash feminist (whose adorable idealism leads her to suggest staging a “peasant putsch” to rectify rural inequalities).
A major aspect of Summertime that is extremely refreshing is its very treatment of sexuality in Delphine and Carole’s relationship. Despite the fact that Carole lives with her boyfriend, Manuel (Benjamin Bellecour), Delphine acts on her feelings (imagine a Desert Hearts scenario, except Delphine doesn’t possess exactly the same “fuck it” attitude as Cay), but she also answers Carole’s initial “I’m not like that” speech with a “Me neither” (before kissing her again). Later, Delphine describes playing “Mummies and Daddies” as a child and the mind blowing feeling of kissing a girl. This is a character who has understood that’s she’s a lesbian since childhood but remains, to some extent, hesitant and, at home, in the closet because of her less than accepting surroundings. The realism of such seemingly contradictory behavior is striking, and to contrast Delphine’s characterization with that of Carole’s newfound bisexuality only intensifies that realism. In the latter half of the film, we see a complete shift from Delphine’s confidence early on to Carole increasingly instigating not only contact but shouting matches over being true to yourself.
And when Delphine’s father suffers a stroke and she returns to the farm (later joined by Carole), her desire to keep their relationship a secret speaks to both her own emotional state and the reality of the time period. Above all else, Delphine wants to be able to run her father’s farm. She rightly views being outed as a threat to her sliver of respect in the farming community. But the catch here is that bald-faced, raging homophobia has very little to do with the trajectory of their relationship. Until the very end of the film, no one else is remotely involved or affected by their relationship. One could argue that the script puts them in a bubble, but, if it does, it allows for their relationship to be explored as something perfectly normal and independent of outside judgment. And when that bubble does burst, it doesn’t unleash a flood of sermonizing speeches but almost disturbingly calm – albeit homophobic – resolve from Delphine’s mother (Noémie Lvovsky).
Corsini shies away from all of the rote dramatics expected with such subject matter, with the result being a fairly relaxed, bucolic film. And it’s Summertime‘s very refusal to abide by the prevailing lesbian tropes that makes it a film to be processed. If you were to ignore the final five minutes and the epilogue, you would have an idyllic happy ending, but Delphine’s last-minute decision once again speaks volumes to Corsini’s commitment to realism in her portrayal of a character caught in a complicated web of self-aware emotions and family tradition, simply too young and unprepared for such a whirlwind of emotions. Summertime isn’t altogether happy, but it is by no means tragic either. It’s a shame that nuance remains so noteworthy in LGBT films, but, regardless of larger genre failings, Corsini has presented a story that emphasizes the positives of failed relationships where most films would struggle to depict even a tangible future for their protagonists.
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