A Very Hot Summer

My original reaction to your review was rather violent, to be honest. How could you dislike it so? That was Friday night after the first showing at the Cosford. I've realized since then that most people find it too slow or sad or indulgent. Only a minority of people I know liked it. The film does not break new ground and Louis G. can play this part in his sleep. And yet, I sense the presence of an author who is very sensitive to the lives of the characters he depicts and genuinely likes them despite, or perhaps because of, their feebleness and sometimes pathetic vulnerability. Also, I happen to like the effect of letting scenes linger a second or two longer than they should, which strikes me as typical of Garrel if memory serves. Having said that, I recognize his films are enjoyed by the few and that there is something lacking in Garrel that keeps one from truly rallying behind them. I felt that way even before reading Rosenbaum's notes on Garrel which I excerpt below:

"Considering how much admiration I have for the films of Philippe Garrel, it's hard to avoid some feelings of guilt and consternation for not liking them more – especially when I consider how much they mean to others whose tastes I admire. Why do I find myself preferring the work of his best-known disciple, Leos Carax?
This is a problem I've been wrestling with for a quarter of a century. For the past decade, I've been trying to theorize my disaffection by ascribing the passion of my younger friends for this melancholy star of the French underground to a generational taste I can't share." (Rosenbaum on Garrel)