SUMMER OF 85/ ETE 85

France, 2020, 100 minutes, Colour.
Felix Lefebvre, Benjamin Voisin, Philippine Velge, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Melville Poupaud, Isabel Nanty..
Directed by François Ozon.

François Ozon has been making significant films for a quarter of a century – and, prior to his moving into feature films in the late 1990s, he spent 10 years making short films and short documentaries. He makes films with great assurance.

The title of the film evokes sunshine and light, the French coast, the beaches, crowded, boats sailing on the sea. However, the title of the novel on which the film is based is Dance on My Grave, a novel by Aidan Chambers. Quite a sombre title, the introduction of the theme of death which does pervade the whole film, and a sequence bringing to life thse title of the novel takes place at night, in the dark.

There is immediate ambiguity for the viewer, the introduction to the 16-year-old Alexis, preferring to be called Alex (a significant performance by Felix Lefebvre), on holiday from school where he has been encouraged by a sympathetic teacher in his creative writing (Melvil Poupaud, a regular in Ozon on films). But, Alex’s voice-over talks about death, seeing a corpse, and revealing that the corpse in question is his friend, David (Benjamin Voisin), and Alex is being accompanied by a policeman. This puts a pervading gloom over the reminiscences about the summer of 85.

Alex is sunbaking on a small boat when a storm comes up and his boat capsizes, Alex fortunately rescued by David on another boat. So, a sympathetic beginning of a friendship.

David works at a sports store established by his father, now dead, and managed by his rather exuberant mother (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi who also appeared in other Ozon films). The two young men are comfortable with each other, though Alex is somewhat wary, wanting explanations, trying to think things through. But, walking along the beach, talking, riding on motorbikes, going to the cinema, Alex being persuaded to work in the shop (his dockworker father eager for him to be occupied with a job, his mother, sympathetic, working at home).

The audience is more aware of Alex and his sexuality, sexual orientation, before he is. But, the audience will have something of a puzzle about David – seductive in his manner, controlling situations, manifesting more and more some self-centredness.

While the audience knows from the beginning of the film the David is dead, we do not know how this occurred, and what was Alex’s responsibility, he being accused of causing David’s death. How? Why?

And that is the drama in the second part of the film. David’s death also has devastating consequences for Alex and his feelings, his trying to understand David and the relationship, complicated by an encounter with an English au pair visitor, Katie, and becoming more desperate, Alex wanting to see David’s body for a last time (and a dramatic setup in the morgue) and, David having promised that whoever outlived the other would dance on his grave. And that becomes a driving force for Alex.

Katie has some wise words for Alex and the audience would certainly agree, that Alex had fallen in love, a passionate obsession, with an image of David that he created rather than the real David.

But, Alex, realisation of his sexual orientation, is 16, his life ahead of him.

1. The tone and mood of the title? Summer, some, fine weather, the beaches?

2. The tone of the original novel, Dance on My Grave? The pact between Alex and David?

3. The work of the director, relationships, tensions, homoerotic?

4. The setting, the coast, cliffs, the beaches, the crowds? On the water? Homes, streets, shops, the police station? The musical score? The song: I am sailing?

5. The time structure? Alex, with the police, going to the station? The progress of that line of action, changes, with his parents, with the teacher, the discussions, the writing of the story, the importance for Alex? Sharing it with the teacher? The interrogation by the case worker? Alex and his bewilderment? About himself? About his relationship and action?

6. The significance of the textemphasis on death, the corpse, responsibility, David as the corpse? Audience anticipation?

7. The time structure for the summer episodes: Alex, studies, love of writing, discussions with his teacher and encouragement, issue of work, his relationship with his parents, hard-working mother, at home, his father on the docks? Sailing, capsizing in the storm, the rescue by David? Going home with him, meeting his mother, the bath, naked, David’s clothes? Later returning with the clothes? The initial bond with David?

8. David, age, personality, relationship with his mother, his mother’s concern, the death of his father, the grave? Sailing, the yacht? Rescuing Alex, bringing him home? Ordinary, friendship, discussions about friendship, the earth and dancing on the grave, companionship with Alex, their walking, talking, along the beach, at the cinema?

9. Alex, no overt initial aspects of his sexual orientation? The experience with David’s mother in the bath? His response to David, walking, talking, cinema, the invitation to work in the shop, his accepting? The encounter with the drunken young man, Alex and his negative reaction, David helping him, to the beach, David returning late home?

10. Alex falling in love, passionate, the sexual encounter, the aftermath? Katie’s later comment that Alex had created the ideal personality and seen it in David himself? In love with love?

11. Katie, the encounter, chatting, English, learning French, a pair? Later meeting, the introduction to David, her going sailing, Alex and his pouting jealousy, David spending the night with Katie? Her reaction to his death, not realising the relationship, her apology?

12. David’s mother, genial, protective of her son, the management of the shop? Her reaction to her son’s death, from affirming Alex to turning on him? Refusing to see him, Alex’s insistence, the phone calls and wanting the photo, her charges?

13. Alex, the clash with David, David and his manner, revealed as seductive, self-centred, exploitative? Alex running away, David in pursuit, the crash, his death, Alex seeing the news on the television? Going out, the consequences?

14. Alex, desperate, the passion, wanting to see David’s body, Katie and her help, the female disguise, into the morgue, the help of the attendant, Alex and his fit, on the body, dragged off, the wig and the dress? Return home, talking with his mother, pretending that it was a play, the story of his uncle Jackie and his father’s disdain, asking his mother later whether she liked uncle Jackie?

15. The pledge of dancing on the grave, Alex going to the cemetery, searching the site, the fit and digging at the soil? His later return, the dance, ‘I am sailing’? The police and his being taken away?

16. The charges, the writing of his story, as testimony, the hearing before the judge, the sentence and social work? Those present – and Katie leaving?

17. Alex calmer, working on the beach, the encounter with the young man who had been drunk, they going sailing together…?