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Netflix will premiere the definitive season of Summertime on May 4th, 2022, which concludes the series based on Federico Moccia‘s novel Three Meters Above the Sky. Summertime (2020-2022; Lagi, Francesco & Sportiello, Lorenzo) is a drama centered on the romantic lives of a group of friends during the summer.
- Genre: Drama, Netflix Entertainment
- Directed by: Francesco Lagi & Lorenzo Sportiello
- Based on: Three Meters Above the Sky by Federico Moccia
This is an international series produced in Italian with numerous subtitles available (and of superb quality). Each episode runs for approximately (more or less) forty minutes and consists of eight episodes per season. There are five main characters in the story: Summer, Ale, Sofia, Dario, and Edo. As implied by its title, Summertime is a series about summer, finding your true self, and growing through each season.
Summertime (2020-2022; Lagi, Francesco & Sportiello, Lorenzo) is designed for adults (aged 18+) but may be suitable for 16+ as well if they are well suited for viewing sex, sexual scenes, and adult themes.
Summertime‘s (( 2020-2022; Lagi, Francesco & Sportiello, Lorenzo )) Basic Synopsis
Summer and Ale live very dissimilar lifestyles in Cesenatico, Italy. Summer is an introvert; she hates summers, so she finds a job at The Grand Hotel Cesenatico to support her mother financially while her jazz musician father is traveling abroad. Sofia and Edo are two of Summer’s closest friends, and she has a little sister named Blue. Through the course of the series, Blue comes to grips with her sexuality and identity, which enhances the young adult theme of Summertime. The series also emphasizes the normalization of sex (which I appreciated).
Ale, who is from Rome, is an accomplished motorcycle rider. After a dangerous racing accident nearly killed him, he has taken a break from competing with his racing team. Ale’s father has always been his greatest supporter, and he hopes Ale can return to racing once the summer is over. Unfortunately, Ale has grown disinterested in the sport. Laura, Ale’s mother, manages the hotel in which Summer works. As a result, Ale develops an intense romantic interest in Summer. Throughout the series, Ale and Summer fall in and out of love and learn how to rebuild their relationship through loss.
Throughout the series, each friend dynamic is explored, however, the first season is heavily focused on the relationship between Summer and Ale. The second season is an exploration of Summer and Ale’s falling out of love. The third season is considered a process of healing after a heartbreak or loss. There are four seasons of Summertime, each covering a different aspect of love, relationships, friendships, and individualism.
Season One
In its first season, Summertime focuses on the story of how Summer and Ale met and fell in love. Additionally, the series focuses on the dynamics between Summer and Ale’s friendship, as well as how their friends become entangled, causing Ale and Summer to continue to share each other’s lives throughout the series.
As Summer and Ale negotiate their love, their friendships, and their careers, Summertime follows their relationship. Aside from this, they are also juggling how to spend their time between two places due to the fact that Ale is a famous racecar driver. As he travels frequently, Summer worries about how she fits into his lifestyle. Together, Summer and Ale decide whether or not their relationship is worth the effort in season one.
Season Two
Despite Summer and Ale’s desire to do long-distance, they struggle with their relationship and their craving to remain close. In the same way that Ale desires his freedom, Summer desires the same thing as well. The couple struggles to determine what is required to carry out their relationship.
Thus, each of their friendships, including that of each other, are put to the test; their choices in season two influence both their present and their future. In the course of finding love again, Ale and Summer find themselves separated, as Summertime asks whether they will ever be reunited.
Season Three
We end our third summer with Summer, Ale, Sofia, Edo, and Dario as they each experience what it means to heal and move forward. With Summer ready to embrace the upcoming season with a thoughtlessness that she has never experienced before, Dario receives an offer that he cannot refuse, Sofia returns terrified of becoming a stranger to her friends, and Ale is beset by deep feelings of guilt.
During these final episodes, Summer, Ale, Dario, Sofia, Edo, and Blue will take another step towards discovering who they are and what they hope for. The friendship between them and the arrival of new members within the group will enable them to understand something important about themselves and their future. On their journey to growth, apart from reaching a wider emotional spectrum, they will also learn that at times, real love can also mean losing part of themselves.
In conclusion to the first episode, the final episode of season three (( IMDb. “Episode #3.8,” May 5, 2022. )) depicts Summer’s desire for love as well as her hatred towards the season summer, while simultaneously showing her growth and healing following the experience of love and heartbreak throughout three series of summers.
Summertime‘s (( 2020-2022; Lagi, Francesco & Sportiello, Lorenzo )) Directing
Described by “Decider’s” Joel Keller as:
“like a refreshing lemonade on a hot day, Summertime goes down easy and does not weigh one down.”
(( Keller, Joel. “Stream It or Skip It: ‘Summertime’ on Netflix, a Young Adult Love Story Set on the Sunny Adriatic Coast of Italy.” Decider. Decider, April 29, 2020. ))
Keller is correct when he indicates that Summertime occupies an illuminating and dream-like space. Lagi and Sportiello have done a masterful job of transferring a book to the screen and displaying it in a manner that will never be forgotten. It is impossible not to appreciate the color palette and cinematography of Summertime and should be watched for the series’ dreamy style alone. It is amazing how beautifully done the pink and purple hue is when Summer and Ale fall in love in season one. This series is enriched by the shadowed wide shots.
In terms of the color palette, it is enjoyable to portray each friend’s experience as it allows Lagi and Sportiello to express their individuality. Summer is more tomboyish, yet feminine, whereas Sofia is more feminine without being tomboyish. There is a beautiful color palette and cinematography that follow each character individually, and the series runs smoothly in the way it has been constructed. Several characters, of varying sexuality, gender, and culture, are included.
Standout Mise-En-Scéne
During the first season, Summer is portrayed as a colorful and vibrant character, whereas Ale is portrayed as more diluted and blue in nature. Summer’s well done, fast-paced, montage is visually attractive and pleasing. Ale’s first montage appears to be very solitary and contemplative. Colors represent how each character perceives the world or how they live in it. In season one, episode one, (( Season 1, Episode 1: “I Hate Summer” )) (( Moccia, Federico, Mirko Cetrangolo, and Anita Rivaroli. “I Hate Summer.” IMDb, April 29, 2020. )) the moving shots are subtly done, provoking great sensuality and taste. Ale’s low-camera framed shots are exquisite and masculine. There are several variations of the camera which describe not only the character but also their sense of existence and feeling. Within the first episode of season one (( Season 1, Episode 1: “I Hate Summer” )) (( Moccia, Federico, Mirko Cetrangolo, and Anita Rivaroli. “I Hate Summer.” IMDb, April 29, 2020. )), it is obvious that Summer and Ale have very different personalities. This will become apparent as the series continues.
“Just You & I” (( Moccia, Federico, Mirko Cetrangolo, and Anita Rivaroli. “Just You & I.” IMDb, April 29, 2020. )) from season one, episode two is particularly striking with the wide shot of Ale and his friends. The entire sequence with Summer and Ale in the elevator is entrancing. The visual effects of the wide shots juxtaposed with the extreme close-ups are luscious and romantic. It brings back memories of your first love. Their relationship is presented in such a romantic way that it makes you fall in love with the rest of their storyline and relationship. The extreme close-up of Summer and Ale lying down in episode eight of season one, “Another Winter” (( Moccia, Federico, Mirko Cetrangolo, and Anita Rivaroli. “Another Winter.” IMDb, April 29, 2020. )) is quite striking. I cannot even begin to describe the underwater sequence in season two, episode three. (( IMDb. “Episode #2.3,” June 3, 2021. )) I love how Summer and Ale are framed in contrast after the underwater sequence.
Diversity In Summertime
It is Summer’s and Ale’s existence as this interracial couple that elevates the plot tremendously. It is wonderful that Summer is multiracial. Summer’s hair and her ‘fro play such a prominent role in the shots. They contribute so much to her individual narrative that they truly encapsulate the series as a whole. Summertime is one of the most diverse series that I have viewed, especially internationally.
It allows for the soundtrack to be a blend of slow and fast pop tracks, and it allows for culture to play an integral part in how these characters exist. In spite of Summer’s multiracial background, the camera never portrays her in an antagonistic light. She is not treated differently because of her identity, and that is stimulating. Summer exists and is allowed to exist in whatever form she chooses.
Goodbye Summer, Goodbye Summertime (2020-2022)
As we say goodbye to Summertime, we begin our own. With Summer’s end paralleling our own, we have an understanding of what it is to heal and look forward to the future, whatever it may hold.