This second documentary short film by Virgile Ratelle, a gentle ode to love and its meanderings, presents itself as a sort of an unofficial sequel to his previous short Summer Nights. Here, the shadow of Jean-François Lesage and The Hidden River is strongly felt. It hovers low above this magnificently photographed quarry and. In this regard, the parallels between the two films accumulate throughout the viewing to such an extent that we could outright qualify one as being a tribute to the other… remastered, rejuvenated, perhaps a Generation Z version of it.

Now that I keep thinking about it, Virgile Ratelle must certainly be a fan of Lesage’s work as a whole, really. The sense of framing, the meticulous editing, the intimacy of conversations, and the haunting beauty that emanates from these breathtaking landscape shots… I mean, it’s all there.

Far be it from me to reduce this very lovely film to a simple pastiche—let’s give the artist his due: Summer Love is a generational portrait delivered with gentleness, taking advantage of the honeyed time that these warm summer days provide to loosen his protagonists’ tongues and instill in them a desire to open their arms and hearts to the camera. The complicity he manages to capture on film never appears to be stolen, nor even borrowed—the way the shots are composed eliminates any impression of voyeurism—thus allowing us to appreciate this series of beautiful intimacies as if we were invited into them.

A great gift.

Jason Todd
Programmer and filmmaker