Carlo Simon’s Summer 1993 (Estiu 1993) dives deep into the world of a child, exploring the character of six year old Frida (Laia Artigas), who has just lost her parents and moves to the countryside with her aunt and uncle. The narrative is simple, yet captures every emotion beautifully, making it realistic and impactful.
From the opening shot to the end sequence, Carlo allows us to see the world from Frida’s perspective and appreciate the essence of childhood. It is emotionally disturbing to lose loved ones, especially at such a tender age when the child doesn’t even know how to react, when the concept of death is still a blur to them. The movie’s triumph lies in depicting every aspect of childhood with such delicacy. Adapting to a new place, new family, away from your hometown and with no hope of seeing your parents ever again is all too much for a mere six year old, because of which Frida often acts out, venting out her anger on her four year old sister Anna or behaving rudely towards her aunt. We realise that the grief for her mother’s death is buried deep inside her, and is not let out through tears.
Frida, at such an innocent age, is thrown into the harsh realities of life. She is exposed to the adult world, much like Jacob Tremblay’s character Jack in Lenny Abrahamson’s Room, which was also a look at the world through the eyes of a child.
Frida doesn’t understand the nature of changing relations. Her aunt and uncle are suddenly her new parents, her cousin is suddenly her sister. The quaint countryside is suddenly her new home. This suddenness of everything is what makes her irritable, unfriendly and moody. She feels that she’s unloved, even though her aunt and uncle try hard to treat her as their own daughter.
The movie is a sight to behold, especially the scenes involving the two girls, Anna and Frida. They bring their characters to life, whether it’s Frida getting jealous of Anna, or Anna being indifferent towards Frida even after the latter misbehaves with her. Carlo does a tremendous job in making sure that even the simplest of scenes feel real.
I highly recommend you to watch Summer 1993 to experience the beauty of the different shades of childhood.
