Le Rendez-vous de l'été

Blandine (Blandine Madec) arrives in Paris in the summer of 2024, intending to see the Olympics and reconnect with her estranged half-sister Julie (India Hair). From the outset however, her Parisian sojourn takes unexpected turns, and she ends up child sitting, dating and even being arrested by the police after getting caught up in an anti-Olympics protest—all while missing the swimming competition she travelled from Normandy to see. In her depiction of an amusing journey that is far from frivolous, Valentine Cadic’s curiosity as a filmmaker echoes that of Blandine’s, crafting a multi-layered social ecosystem where each element feels distinctly motivated, and different perspectives are given considerable nuance without sacrificing the film’s light-hearted tone. LE RENDEZ-VOUS DE L’ÉTÉ is a tale of sentimental education, anchored by Madec’s remarkable performance as a protagonist that avoids clichés. Echoes of Éric Rohmer feel present, as such, but their influence is perhaps even stronger in the film’s concern for its contemporary setting; Cadic boldly addresses how modern Western society navigates relationships, urban transformations or parenthood in this delicate, yet incisive portrait of life in present-day Paris. (Salvador Amores)

Valentine Cadic: OMAHA BEACH (2020, K), LA NUIT N’EN FINIT PLUS (2022, K), GRANDES VACANCES (2022, K), LA SAISONNIÈRE (2024, K)