Last Summer (2023)
As this basically a remake of the Danish Queen of Hearts, watching this I kept trying to find a reason for this to exist, and it was difficult to find. It is very similar in almost every way, competently made and well acted, but I was looking for a bit of justification or motivation from Breillat to make thus. It is there, very subtle, as in this version the stepmother is slightly less manipulative and cynical than Trine Dyrholm played her in the Danish film. Both films leans into the uneven power dynamics, the ambiguity of who is seducing who. Breillat presents the situation as more fumbling, both of them unthinking falling into the mess, whereas the Danish film tipped a few percent over to the side of the stepmother being the aggressor. It is a subtle difference, perhaps enough to make it matter, but I think it simply comes down to which film you watch first will be the most impactful.
Criterion Challenge 2026 - 5. Romance
Rating: 3