Summer 1993 is a mesmerising story about an orphan child navigating her way into a new family and a new home. After the unexplained death of her mother, Frida finds herself parentless, and is accepted into the home of her kind aunt and uncle. Damaged by an unconventional upbringing, she struggles to behave in a normal way, and often tests the patience of her new foster parents. She gets very close to their daughter, and whilst their relationship is for the most part very touching, she begins to resent her and often plays cruel tricks on her, manipulating situations to grab the attention she has been so deprived of.
This movie is filmed so beautifully, you can almost feel the warm summer sun hitting you through the screen. Set in the countryside outside Barcelona, the scenery is so earthly and natural; we are as awe stricken by the surroundings as the children are. The camera lingers on Frida, the beautiful little girl who leads the action, who is incredibly captivating for such a young actress. Watching her whilst the adult conversations go on around her gives us a real window into the world of a child, and how isolating it is at times. In one particular scene, her foster parents and grand parents discuss Frida’s mysterious health issues, whilst we the camera stays with her, hiding under the table. The conversation is happening, but we are not part of it, in the same way that the child isn’t.
The most touching scenes are those that occur between the two girls, Frida and Anna, and the games they create out of their own imaginations. At one point they assume the role of mother and daughter, with Frida perhaps drawing inspiration from her own, smoking a cigarette, caked in make up and saying she is too tired to play, asking her daughter to go and fetch her some snacks. The spectre of her mother is a mystery, but it is the only insight we get into what she may have been like.
The acting and cinematography is breathtaking from start to finish. This is a beautiful, moving film about childhood, summer, and mainly a child’s pain, and the way in which they act out before having developed the skills to deal with it. It is heart-breaking and heart warming, with the kindness of its characters shining above all else.
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