Title: Last Summer
Director: Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli
Starring: Rinko Kikuchi, Yorick Van Wageningen, Lucy Griffiths, Laura Sofia Bach, Daniel Brady, Ken Brady.
The Rome Film Festival – which has had a precipitous downfall over the years – opens with a mediocre film.
‘Last Summer’ directed by Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli has a very simple and nerve-wracking plot: A Japanese mother is obliged to spend a few final days with her 4-year-old son, who’s been whisked away in a custody battle, though we never know why. The boy is initially aloof – also because he’s overprotected by the staff on board of the yacht – but eventually will open up to his mother.
The movie explores the tricky subject matter of motherhood. The images are beautifully shot, but the fact that the film’s entire plot is based on unexplained events never manages to fully engage the viewer. It’s a shame that the bestselling Japanese author – Banana Yoshimoto – was troubled to co-write a screenplay, that is drenched with calmness, and that after a while stirs annoyance.
Seràgnoli has directed a few well-received shorts, and he showcases a certain eye for beauty, capturing the vivid seascapes in crisply lit widescreen compositions. But he seems to neglect, or completely ignore, human behaviour and dramaturgy.
The actress that shone in ‘Pacific Rim’ and ‘Babel’ – Oscar-nominated Rinko Kikuchi – tries her best to give life to her underworked character, side by side with the cute debutante, Ken Brady.
‘Last Summer’ is a huge clash betwixt its beauteous imagery and its disastrous narrative pace, along with the inexistent character analysis. The atmosphere created by the motion of the waves and the glaring sun is stupendously embraced by the gelid luxurious cage-yacht. But the complete lack of theatrical action makes this majestic cinematic ship sink.
Technical: B+
Acting: B
Story: C
Overall: B-
Written by: Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
