Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 08/01/2007(USA
Release Date: 06/10/2008
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: Ger
Sound: DD2
Run Time: 97 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Koch Lorber Films
A middle-aged woman coming to terms with her son's sexual awakening does some extramarital exploration of her own in this downbeat
drama.
Miriam (
Martina Gedeck) has just turned forty and is going on a seaside vacation with her husband
Andre (
Peter Davor) and fifteen-year-old son
Nils (
Lucas Kotaranin).
Andre has given
Niels permission to bring his girlfriend
Livia (
Svea Lohde) along for the trip; while
Livia is soon to turn thirteen, she looks and acts several years older, and
Miriam wonders if
Andre has unwittingly given them
carte blanche to take their relationship to the physical level, though
Andre seems unconcerned. While sailing, the vacationers meet
Bill (
Robert Seeliger), a footloose American of German heritage who seems quite taken with
Livia, and vice versa. While
Miriam is quite appalled by
Bill's flirtation with an underage girl, the longer she thinks about him the more she's drawn to him, and when she decides to confront
Bill about what may be going on with
Livia, they end up having sex. However, while
Bill insists he's not interested in
Livia physically,
Miriam soon discovers her son's girlfriend is also a rival for her lover's affections. The second feature from director
Stefan Krohmer,
Summer '04 (aka
Sommer '04) received its North American premier at the 2006
Toronto Film Festival.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide