My summer in Provence

My Summer in Provence is a perfect summer film for anyone with sunshine in their eyes and scrapes on their knees. It is a film both for adults who remember their childhood and for families with school-age children. A beautiful, lyrical nature atmosphere is combined with upsetting elements, such as first love and the realization that the adult world has its complications in the form of unwritten laws, secrets and lies. Christophe Barratiers gives us a heartwarming, sun-drenched and nostalgic story, set to music by the song of the cicadas.

In the borderland between childhood and adolescence, Marcel travels with his mother, father, siblings and aunts and uncles from the city life of Marseille to the summer house in the countryside of Provence. Together with his friend Lili, a peasant boy from the neighboring farm, he hikes over the lavender-scented hills, explores caves and hunts small game. One day during their wanderings, the two boys encounter the mysterious girl Isabelle. Marcel's fate is sealed. It becomes love at first sight. Together, Marcel, Lili and Isabelle experience a wonderful summer of adventure and discovery that turns into betrayal and disappointment in the fall when the duties of adulthood begin to overshadow life.

The film is based on Le temps de secrets from 1959, the third of four books that filmmaker and author Marcel Pagnol wrote about his own childhood. Beloved literary classics that have been filmed many times in France. Marcel Pagnol was the first to make dialogue-based talkies in French and ran his own film studio outside Marseille from 1932 until the war. He was also the first filmmaker to be elected to the French Academy. Marcel Pagnol's novels have been the basis for successful films such as Jean de Florette and Jean de Florette Part 2 – Manon's Source .

* * * * “ Beautiful and completely irresistible ” – The Culture Blog
“ Easygoing and charming ” – UNT
“ Very nice ” – TV4
“ Classic coming of age story” – The Entertainment Guide
“ Idyll in backlight ” – DN
“ Ready for summer adventures ” – Aftonbladet
“ Easy and pleasant entertainment ” – Filmeye