The Beautiful Summer (La Bella Estate)
A luminous coming-of-age story set in 1930s Turin, where shy young Ginia is drawn into the bohemian world of artists, free-spirited models, and forbidden desire. As she becomes fascinated by the enigmatic Amelia, Ginia’s quiet life opens into one of sensual discovery, creative awakening, and emotional vulnerability. A tender portrait of first passions and the bittersweet beauty of youth on the cusp of change.
DIRECTOR
Laura Luchetti
Actors
1h 34m • Rated TBC • Drama, Romance • Italy (2023)
Yile Yara Vianello • Deva Cassel • Nicolas Maupas
Reviewers praise the film’s painterly cinematography, natural light, and delicate period atmosphere. Its pacing is unhurried, favouring mood and character over plot, which some viewers may find languid. But many note that its restraint deepens its emotional authenticity, portraying longing, identity, and self-discovery without judgement or melodrama.
A soft-spoken gem rooted in literature and cinema tradition, The Beautiful Summer is regarded as a moving ode to awakening — romantic, artistic, and personal — and to the fleeting shimmer of youth when the world feels unbearably beautiful and heartbreakingly fragile.
CRITICS ROUNDUP
Gentle, wistful, and beautifully observed
Critics celebrate The Beautiful Summer for its poetic intimacy and emotionally rich coming-of-age sensitivity. Yile Yara Vianello’s performance is highlighted as subtle and luminous, capturing the vulnerability and curiosity of young womanhood with quiet strength. Deva Cassel’s magnetic screen presence draws comparisons to classic Italian muses, lending the film a timeless sensuality.