Summer 1993 (2017) User Reviews (27)

How a young girl copes with her mom's death will break your heart

[paul-allaer · 8/10 · 22 July 2018]

Summer 1993" (2017 release from Catalonia; 97 min.) brings the story of Frida, a 6 or 7 yr. old girl. As the movie opens, we see Frida's stuff being boxed up, and Frida along with a couple driving out of the city. The couple discuss the situation in hushed terms but we pick up quickly that Frida's mom just passed away (we're not quite sure of what), and that Frida is now taken care of by her mom's brother Esteve and his wife Marga. The couple have a daughter of their own, 3 or 4 yr. old Anna. How will Frida adopt to her new environment? more importantly, how will the little girl process the death of her mom? At this point we're 10 min. into the mvie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie is written and directed by Carla Simon, based on her memoirs and with Frida standing in for Carla. Set in rural Catalonia, we observe how Frida tries to settle into this new family, while at the same time dealing with her overwhelming sense of loss and sadness. Not surprisingly, Frida is at times scared, confused, angry, or withdrawn (and at times all of those at once). There seemingly is no "plot" to speak of, but that is in fact not the case at all. It's just that the "plot" reveals itself with subtlety. Of course none of this would have been possible but for the astonishing performance of the little girl who plays Frida, wow, just wow Not enough can be said about that. The director smartly gives us a lot of interaction between Frida and Anna, with at times uninterrupted shots that seemingly go forever (in reality: a minute or two). The closing scene of the movie is both brilliant and heartbreaking. (Afterwards, the movie shows it is dedicated to the memory of Carla Simon's mother.)

"Summer 1993" premiered at the 2017 Berlin film festival, to immediate acclaim. I have no idea why it's taken 18 months for the movie to reach US theaters. The movie opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I couldn't wait to see it. The Saturday matinee screening where I saw this at was attended nicely (but nowhere close to sold out). If you like a top notch foreign movie that examines how a young girl copes with her mom's death, I readily recommend you seek this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Delicate and well-done

[guisreis · 8/10 · 26 February 2021]

Very delicate Catalan movie about an orphan girl whom an uncle and his wife take care of, together with the child's cousin. Although living with a good family who gives her love, she suffers, is jealous about the other girl, lies and has michievous attitide, feels revolted. Not action-oriented, the story is however deep in dealing with all feelings involved, and all actors are very convincing, inclusing the children. As the movies advances we know a little more about the girl's mother. It is also an excelent film about being a child. Worth watching.

Countryside Coming of Age Story

[ThomasDrufke · 7/10 · 26 January 2019]

In the wake of tragedy it's pretty impossible to try and move on and forget your loss, imagine doing that if you were six years old and had no immediate family left. That's the story of Summer 1993, as a young Frida spends a summer in countryside Spain with her Aunt as assimilation becomes a grand task for a grieving young one. Both subtly heartbreaking and beautiful, Summer 1993 finds a unique voice with a young girl (semi-autobiographical from director Carla Simon) as she navigates a new life that will either break her or make her stronger.

7.1/10

Well-observed child's tale

[gortx · 29 May 2018]

Carla Simon's well-observed tale of a young girl who's orphaned and forced to move into her uncle's home. Frida (Laia Artigas ) is the girl and her uncle Esteve (David Verdaguer) has a wife Marga (Bruna Cusi) and an even younger daughter Anna (Paula Robles).

Frida's mother's passing of an "illness" isn't defined at the outset, but, the constant medical tests the young girl has to be subjected to and the panic that ensues when she bleeds on a playground give you a pretty good idea of what will be revealed (not to mention setting it 25 years ago). But, SUMMER 1993 isn't really about that topic, it's more about coping without parents, and trying to blend in with her uncle's family. It's often awkward, and even painful, but it's never less than perceptive even if it never quite reaches the next level. The movie's path never seems in doubt, no matter the obstacles put in the characters' way. The music selections are interesting and unexpected with touches of soulful jazz. The ending concludes on a different note than one might forsee - but, it's just about right.

This was Spain's official submission for the Foreign Language Oscar last year (it was not nominated or short-listed).

Good debut , but kind of old fashioned storytelling

[parkerbcn · 7/10 · 22 June 2021]

A very good debut by a young Spanish filmmaker that portrays a difficult childhood story with a lot of care and sensibility and manages to extract very natural performances from the two lead girls. It's also a showcase of the customs of rural Catalan areas in the 90s. My main criticism is that the storytelling and filming style is a little academic and old fashioned.

A quiet storm

[birthdaynoodle · 9/10 · 2 July 2017]

This is the story of a little girl from Barcelona who is adopted by her aunt's family in the countryside, after her mother passes away. Largely autobiographical, "Summer 1993" is filmed in a very naturalistic style and almost feels like a documentary. The director, Carla Simón, pays special attention to the kind of small details that can make a big difference to a young kid. Although not very much seems to be going on in the surface, one can see that a very important drama, charged with intense emotions, is going on deep in the lives of this little person and the family that has welcomed her. The acting is all very effective and particularly Laia Artigas, who plays the main character, is surprisingly strong and charismatic for someone her age.

"Summer 1993" is one of many Spanish films that observe the world through the eyes of a child. Other examples include the classics "Cría Cuervos", "The Spirit of the Beehive" and "El Sur". The contemplative gaze and relatively slow pace remind me of "En Construcción", a documentary by another Catalan filmmaker, José Luis Guerín.

Spanish film

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 22 January 2022]

After the death of her mother, young Frida is left an orphan. She moves from Barcelona to a small town to live with her uncle and aunt.

This Spanish film starts as a gentle coming-of-age story. There is the tragedy of her mother's death but the movie is still pretty gentle. The mother who pulls her child from Frida is what sets this off. Everything turns. Everybody's reactions take a different undertone. The filmmaker maintains her delicate touch but there is real emotional power. It's a compelling story.

A sweet film to be savoured on many different levels

[CineMuseFilms · 9/10 · 12 August 2018]

Many movies stand or fall on their final scenes because our memory retro-frames the film through its climax. Limp endings always disappoint but the last 20 seconds of the Spanish film Summer 1993 (2017) elevates what would have been just a sweetly lyrical tale of childhood loss into a powerhouse essay on the nature of grief.

In simple linear fashion it's an uncomplicated story of six-year old Frida (Laia Artigas) who is abruptly moved into her aunt's home when both parents die from AIDS-related illness. We are never actually told about the illness, rather we see the shame and hear the silence surrounding why they died, and there is unmistakable discomfort around blood as a recurring motif. While her adoptive parents were not exactly delighted to have Frida, they are dutiful, kind and loving; family always comes first in Catalonian tradition. On the surface, all appears to be settling down well, especially for their three-year old daughter Anna (Paula Robles) who is thrilled to suddenly have a sister and a constant playmate.

What makes this simple tale unique is how it is told entirely through Frida's point of view. The world of a six-year old moves slowly as the developing mind processes what is happening. The camera lingers on Frida's eyes and captures the shifting cycles of abandonment, painful loss, confusion, desire to belong, followed by laughter and child's play. Most scenes are languid in pace, framed at children's height looking up at an adult-controlled world. Scenes of backyard, bathtub and bedtime play show Frida initially on the fringe of belonging and gradually inching towards being part of her new home. It's normal family life and nothing untoward happens; even when Frida leaves Anna in the woods, you sense it is to gain attention rather than show malice towards the three-year old.

If you prefer stories with strong forward narrative you may find this one too slow, even though it's impossible not to enjoy the exquisite naturalness of Frida and Anna. Children of this age do not act; they just are who they are, and the director's artistry lies in channelling their performance into a gently nostalgic autobiographical film. The full impact of the tale erupts during a final scene of joyful family bedtime play. Just when Frida is feeling safe and loved, she bursts into uncontrollable and inconsolable tears. It is a sight we have not seen before.

This is a film to be savoured on many levels. The cinematography and settings are an obvious source of visual and emotional pleasure, but it is at a deeper level that this film delivers its greater impact. We will read it according to our life experience, but it says much about the importance of family and the way young children experience profound loss. At all levels, this is a film that leaves a deep imprint.

Spanish film that spells through intricate patterns of frames , sets , sound and color

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 27 April 2022]

Sensitive film full of feeling , haunting mood-pieces , attractive images and sense of wonder . It is an ode to childhood , a nostalgic trip to the past in which we become children an hour and a half , where everything to be discovered , in which the games were serious things . After her mother's death, in the Summer of 1993, Frida (Laia Artigas), a six-year-old little girl, leaves Barcelona and she has to go house her grandparents (Fermí Reixach) in the countryside . After her father , her mother has just died of a serious sickness . Then , She's cared in by her uncle Esteve (David Verdaguer) and aunt Marga (Bruna Cusí) at an old stone farmhouse in Olot, Girona, both of whom have a three-year old daughter named Anna (Paula Robles) who can become her playmate . As Frida finds out her new environment, located in a mountainous area, close to lush a dense woods . Her new adopted parents prove likable and friendly . For another child less unsettled than miserable uprooted Frida, this would be the most idyllic of stays, in other words a continuous holiday. However , disturbed Frida finding herself hard to forget her mummy and adapt to her new life. The main question results to be if Frida will be able to overcome her troubles . A new family. A new world. Only the end of Summer will tell.

Colorful but a little bit boring picture stars a child prodigy , Laia Artigas as the six-year-old Frida who is sent to her uncle's family to live with them in the countryside , but she has an unexpressed pain which makes her both feel unhappy and behave badly . This is a marvelous ode to childhood plenty of innocence , friendship , cooperation , curiosity , comradeship and innocence . Director Carla Simón shows these important and universal values through child's mind . It is a notorious picture of educational content , including an enjoyable and charming message . Adding a wonderful relationship between the two children and their parents . Being shot on gorgeous locations from Olot, Girona, Les Planes d'Hostales, Les Preses, La Garrotxa, Sant Feliu de Pallerols, Girona,Catalonia, Spain . This film belongs to ¨Children subgenre¨ that achieved splendor in the Seventies and Eighties in which observed the world through the eyes of a little boy or a little girl whose maxim representatives were Lolo Garcia with fims as : ¨La guerra de papᨠby Antonio Mercero , ¨Tobi¨ , ¨Dos y dos, cinco¨ by Josep Luis Comeron , ¨Las fantasias de Cuny¨ and Ana Torrent with films as "Cría Cuervos" by Carlos Saura , "The Spirit of the Beehive" by Victor Erice and ¨The Nest¨ by Jaime de Armiñan .

The motion picture was well but slowly directed by Carla Simón in semi-documentary style . It won several prizes and nominations , such as : Berlin International Film Festival 2017 Winner Best First Feature Award Carla Simón Winner . Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International , Jury Best Feature Film Carla Simón , Ex aqueo with Becoming Who I Was (2017) , Nominee Crystal Bear Generation Kplus - Best Film Carla Simón . Blogos de Oro 2018 Nominee Palmarés blogos de oro Best Supporting Actor David Verdaguer . Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema 2017 Winner Best Director International Competition Carla Simón Nominee Best Film International Competition Carla Simón . Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain 2018 Winner CEC Award Best Original Screenplay Carla Simón, Best New Director Carla Simón Nominee CEC Award Best Film Carla Simón, Best Supporting Actor David Verdaguer , Best Editing Ana Pfaff ,Didac Palou , Best New Actress Laia Artigas, Best New Actress Bruna Cusí . CinEuphoria Awards 2019 Winner CinEuphoria Top Ten of the Year - International Competition Carla Simón , Best Screenplay - International Competition Carla Simón Nominee , CinEuphoria Best Sequence - International Competition For the final minutes of the film, Best Ensemble International Competition : Laia Artigas , Paula Robles, Bruna Cusí , David Verdaguer. Cleveland International Film Festival 2018 Nominee Reel WomenDirect Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman Direction Carla Simón . Días de Cine Awards 2018 wijnner Best Spanish Film Carla Simón . European Film Awards 2017 Nominee European Film Award European Discovery Carla Simón . Feroz Awards, ES 2018 Winner Best Actor in a Supporting Role David Verdaguer , Best Director Carla Simón , Best Film: Drama Carla Simón , Best Screenplay Carla Simón Nominee Feroz Award Best Trailer Miguel A. Trudu. Fotogramas de Plata 2018 Winner Best Spanish Film Carla Simón . Goya Awards 2018 Winner Goya Best New Director Carla Simón , Best Supporting Actor David Verdaguer , Best New Actress Bruna Cusí , Nominee Goya Best Film Inicia Films Avalon , Best Original Screenplay Carla Simón .

Truly excellent

[wmmoose · 10/10 · 16 July 2018]

One of the most beautiful films I've seen in recent memory. The gorgeous cinematography provides a backdrop for a look at loss through the eyes of a child, in this case played by Laia Artigas who gives a truly arresting performance

The film has been compared to other Spanish classics that feature child protagonists like Cría Cuervos and The Spirit of the Beehive. While I thoroughly enjoyed what appears to be a pretty clear nod to Cría Cuervos in the scene where the little girls are "playing adults," this film certainly stands on its own.

Also, although I've seen relatively few films in Catalan, this has undoubtedly been my favorite, so I'd say this also qualifies as a triumph for Catalan cinema!

Highly recommended.

A sensitive and nuanced hymn to childhood

[howard.schumann · 9/10 · 20 September 2018]

Boxes are stacked in the living room of six-year-old Frida's (Laia Artigas) house as she prepares to go and live with her Uncle Esteve (David Verdaguer, "Anchor and Hope") and Aunt Marga (Bruna Cusi, "Uncertain Glory") after the death of her mother. Spain's submission for Best Foreign Film at the 2018 Oscars, director Carla Simón's autobiographical Summer 1993 (Estiu 1993) is a sensitive and nuanced hymn to childhood whose magic is interrupted by the sudden dark intrusions of the adult world. As the foundations of six-year-old Frida's belief in the world as a safe place are shattered, she must come to terms with living with a new set of parents in a rural Catalan village far removed from the city of Barcelona in which she grew up.

Calling on her childhood recollections, Simón's film consists of vignettes focusing on Frida's ability to adjust to her profoundly changed life. The relationship between Frida and her three-year-old cousin Anna (Paula Robles) alternates between the joy of spontaneous play, and Frida's acting out her grief in ways that threaten Anna's well being. From having fun playing in the bathtub to play acting as grown-ups and to joining a local Basque Carnival, the performances are so natural that they seem improvised. Though Esteve and Marga are warm people who are generous in their love, Frida is tentative and withdrawn. A visit to a doctor for testing show their concern about Frida carrying the AIDS virus (which it is hinted her mother died from), but the significance of the visit does not register on the child.

Emotions bubbling beneath the surface do not appear until a visit by Frida's grandparents Avi and Avia (Fermí Reixach, "Night and Day," TV series and Isabel Rocatti, "El dia de mañana," TV series). Prompted by her grandmother's focus on praying, Frida sneaks out of the house at night to leave gifts for her mother in the woods near the statue of the Virgin Mary, but confides in no one. The grandparent's visit is traumatic for Frida, however. Despite their disparaging comments about their daughter's lifestyle expressed in Frida's presence, she desperately wants to go home with them and has to be physically restrained by her uncle. As her anger begins to surface, Frida uses Anna as a target of her distress, telling her cousin that she has so many dolls because her parents loved her so much.

She also encourages Anna to jump into a pool with her even though she knows the water is above her head. In an even scarier incident, Frida leaves Anna by herself in the woods, telling her to wait there until she comes back. When she doesn't return, Marga panics while Anna falls and breaks her arm causing Marga to say that Frida is used to getting her own way and needs greater discipline, telling Esteve, "That girl has no morals." Having overheard the conversation, Frida decides to run away, heartbreakingly telling Anna that "no one loves me here." Led by Artigas' remarkably expressive performance, Simón guides the film to its stunning conclusion with a sure hand that avoids sentimentality, relying only on the resilience of childhood innocence and the impeccable strength of love to achieve its results.

Dull dull dull

[jimcglass · 3/10 · 7 September 2018]

Supposedly beautiful and engaging? This truthfully isn't much above the videos of my kids.

Clueless viewers.

[vsto-46698 · 10/10 · 25 October 2020]

It's really sad & not promising for humanity when people view a magnificent film like this & call it boring. It shows how our society, & especially school & the unconscionable entertainment industry, cater to the lowest levels of human nature, ignoring the pain, the love, & the good that we have but often don't know how to share or express.

Films like this can provide a genuine education at any level, with teachers serving as discussion leaders to help children express their pain, deal with their fears, & learn to appreciate one another while dealing with their differences & becoming supportive rather than competing, dominating, or constantly defeating one another as the morally bankrupt western civilization teaches them now.

A classic intimate portrait of childhood.

[AmakoaAkana · 10/10 · 28 December 2019]

I give this movie a ten star rating. I suspect it will be remembered as a classic. The general feeling of the film and six year old Freda (Laia Artigas) remind me of The Spirit of the Beehive and Anna Torrent. Apparently other reviewers have felt the same. The film is perfectly and beautifully directed and filmed.

The film is intimate, as if I am one of the characters in a family trying to raise a niece whose mother has just died of what in the early 90's was a mysterious disease. I could feel Freda's loneliness, pain, confusion and fear as well as her kind aunt and uncle's failure to breakthrough the child's depression.

There is an undercurrent of fear that three year old Anna (Paula Robles) will fall victim to one of Freda's sometimes strange behaviors. The disease isn't specifically named but it is thought to be spread by touching the blood of someone who has it, that Freda might have it and accidentally spread it around the playground or to her new little sister. Freda is mystified by this, as well as a strange statue of the Virgin Mary in a nook of the forest. These sorts of scenes are to me much more spine-chilling than a bunch of boring, idiotic weirdly dressed super-heroes/action celebrities killing each other.

There are plenty of the joys of childhood that are shared and balance the film.: Eating ice pops, learning to swim, taking the training wheels off of her bicycle, or the two little girls playing together around the farm, woods and farmhouse.

In sum: A lovely film destined to become a classic intimate portrait of childhood.

Brilliant.

[lilly-green · 5 January 2019]

A brilliant exploration of humanity and the struggles of a little girl that has faced loss. Frida's battle with trying to fit into a nuclear family and desire to be loved is desperately sad, it's relieving the arc changes into soothing catharsism.

The acting in the film was so authentic, during some parts I felt like I was watching a documentary.

Summer 1993 is slow paced, gentle and naturally lit film depicting loss, family and childhood struggles. Beautiful.

Influential!!

[gokselll · 8/10 · 27 June 2019]

This is a visual narration of the child's mentality on family, loss, life, game and death. I mostly loved that the movie avoids making audience put in a ultra-sensitive position. The movie tells its story by gently touching our emotions although it is very easy to fall into trap of agitation, with a naturally sorrowful story.

sharply observed memories of a child dealing with the absence of her mother

[JasonGuzman · 8/10 · 13 November 2018]

It felt like the director meticulously constructed this film around memories but the script is very good and keeps you engaged throughout the small moments. It is an excellent depiction of childhood and the story of an overzealous, somewhat spoiled little girl who is trying to blend in with her new family. I think it got better towards the end when in subtle moments , you start to see how she is starting to see the magnitude of her loss. As much as it is about memory, its also about lost memory. You cant grieve if you don't remember but a loss is painful either way..

Excruciatingly boring

[R0ger_waters · 1/10 · 26 August 2018]

Self-indulgent, entirely predictable, dialogue-heavy film. Not redommended unless you enjoyed 'Winter Sleep'.

Love it!!!

[cheryltan-46869 · 10/10 · 15 September 2021]

I cried so badly. As if i am tha girl. I really want to hug her tightly and hug myself. Truly.

Long summer days?

[mbruce007 · 8/10 · 1 December 2020]

Lincoln Film Society brought another thought-provoking piece of World Cinema to audiences last week - Catalonian director Carla Simón's film debut, the largely autobiographical, Summer 1993 (Estiu 1993), a moving, sedate picture about life through the eyes of six-year-old Frida (the brilliantly natural and precocious Laia Artigas). Following the initially unexplained death of her mother, Frida must go and live with her Aunt and Uncle, and their daughter, Anna (the equally brilliant Paula Robles), and start life anew, albeit a life of newly lost innocence. Summer 1993 is wonderfully permeated with high-key lighting and point-of-view shots from Frida's perspective, techniques which serve to highlight the wonder and mystery of childhood. The protracted scenes of Frida and Anna playing make-believe and engaging with other children are moments to which we can all relate, drawing on our own childhood experiences.

I was touched by the recurring scenes of Frida's frequent visits to an idol of the Virgin Mary nestled among the foliage in the garden near her new house, to which she makes offerings as a means of communicating with her late mother. This childhood preoccupation with idolatry recalls other European films dealing with childhood such as French director, Francois Truffaut's semi-autobiographical Les Quatre Cents Coups (The 400 Blows, 1959) in which the child protagonist Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), the product of a loveless union, seeks solace in making a shrine to his literary idol, Balzac. Moreover, the scene in Simón's film where Frida explores the outdoors at night with a torch, calling out for her mother, recalls the actions of the protagonist Ana (Ana Torrent) in Spanish director, Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive (El Espíritu de la Colmena, 1973), who, after seeing the film, Frankenstein (1931), in her village cinema, goes in search of the film's monster herself, becoming obsessed with spectral presences in Civil War era Spain. Simón's film will appeal to everyone because of its relatable experiences of childhood. However, for anyone like myself, who lost their mothers much too early in life, this film will have a much deeper meaning.

Just the necessary keys for you to feel emotional

[cruizca · 8/10 · 18 November 2020]

Carla Simón doesn't need a grand piano to thrill. A priori, Summer 1993 is simple and - for those of us who were born a little later - chronologically alien. It has neither unexpected script twists nor sudden conflicts beyond the one already given. However, it is never boring and was a candidate to represent Spain at the Oscars. This happens because we should not demand from Summer 1993 the same as from any other film. It is a daily, natural and own story - according to its director, autobiographical - but it appeals to an inherent and universal feeling in the human being: mourning. He does it through Frida (Laia Artigas), a six-year-old orphan girl, who begins to live with her uncles in the countryside after the death of her mother.

As an example. At some point, Anna (Paula Robles), Frida's little cousin, invites her to call her mother. Frida accesses the game, dials a number, and holds the phone to her ear, as if really waiting for an answer. At that point, we expect it too. What's more, even the sound of the phone picking up on the other side rings in our heads. In this case, in a great -but simple- script exercise, Simón is making us take metaphysical awareness of death from the perspective of a little girl: absence. And we all feel that.

And it is that the film magnifies itself in its particular way of being. The plans work psychologically, they introduce us to the girl's head and make us participants in her vision of the world; a vision affected by a trauma that remains expressionless - but perfectly represented - until the end of the film. In this sense, it is worth highlighting the contained performance of Artigas and the complicity that she maintains with the rest of the cast.

Summer 1993 is a film in which there is no more than what you see, but you don't need it because you are very clear about what you want to tell. Tender, pretty and thoughtful, she makes it inevitable to share with Frida the emotion of that final scene that, although expected, is hopelessly powerful. And, like the film itself, it does not need external elements, neither music nor other shots. It is enough for her to touch - or to have touched, at this point - the necessary keys for it to work.

A jewel.

[steveryl · 9/10 · 6 March 2022]

This is not Spanish but Catalan. The two children give amazingly natural performances. The psychology of a chil orphaned at six or seven is accurately portrayed. A jewel of a film.

Really boring

[quinzycorpse · 14 April 2018]

One of the most boring films i have ever seen... typical spanish movie.

Boring, endless experience

[TheotherSak · 2/10 · 9 February 2023]

Place a video camera on a mountain and let it film for two hours. That's exactly what this film shows. No script, no beginning middle and end. No thrills. Just a family coming and going every once in a while. They set up the table, have a drink, talk about this and that. And the camera keeps rolling. The biggest plot twist comes after one endless hour, when a little girl gets lost in the woods, but when you were expecting the movie to show some misters or murder or whatever, the girl is found safe and sound barely two minutes later. That's as much thrill and mystery as you will get in this endless film.

Complement and Contrast to The Florida Project

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 29 May 2018]

Greetings again from the darkness. In Sean Baker's 2017 surprise indie hit THE FLORIDA PROJECT, we viewed a challenging family environment through the ever-optimistic eyes of a young girl intent on making the best of every day. On the opposite end of the spectrum is this autobiographical tale from writer/director Carla Simon in her first feature film. Co-written with Valentina Viso, this story is about one young girl's struggle with grief and a cold-water splash into a new family.

Six year old Frida is left orphaned when her mother dies. She eavesdrops through half-closed doors as adults make arrangements for who will take care of her. Uncle Esteve (David Verdaguer) and Aunt Marga (Bruna Cusi) agree to raise her, requiring the young girl to relocate from Barcelona to a remote Catalonia village bordering a forest. It's an idyllic setting for most young kids, however, paradise doesn't exist for a young girl who has lost both parents.

Initially it seems to be simply 'kids being kids'. As more oddities occur while Frida plays with her 3 year old cousin Anna, we begin to believe that Frida's rebellious acts may actually be that of a disturbed young child incapable of dealing with nearly unbearable sorrow. Clearly Aunt Marga runs a more disciplined household than Frida's (apparently) eccentric mother, though it's quite obvious to any parent that Frida is vying for attention - literally competing with the younger Anna for the love of parents. It's heartbreaking to watch.

We view most everything from the viewpoint and perspective of the kids. Even the camera angles are often eye-level for a 6 year old. This is a terrific approach by filmmaker Simon since Child Psychology is at the core of the story. As adults, we look to teach and protect, while sometimes overlooking the undeveloped emotional maturity in youngsters.

There is brilliance in the story-telling process here as adult viewers (it's certainly not a movie for kids) will catch the hints and partial details that Frida can't possibly process. The disease that killed her mother, though never stated, becomes clear. That cause also leads to unexpected reactions to Frida by others. The lack of sentimentality or over-dramatization is delivered through lazy summer days that lull us into complacency before awakening us to what could be. Two amazing child actresses, Laia Artigas (Frida) and Paula Robles (Anna) keep us captivated as director Simon unfolds her life onscreen.