Summer 1993

Summer 1993 (Estiu 1993) is a 2017 Catalan-language Spanish drama film directed and written by Carla Simón. The film premiered in the Generation section at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrechten ) Best First Feature Award. The movie centers around a six year old girl named Frida who is sent to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin during the summer of 1993. It was chosen as the Spanish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but in the end it was not nominated for an award.

Summary
The film follows Frida (Laia Artigas), a six year old girl who must leave her home in Barcelona following the death of her mother. Frida moves to the Catalan countryside with her aunt Marga (Bruna Cusí), her uncle Esteve (David Verdaguer), and their three year old daughter, Anna (Paula Robles). The movie takes place during the summer of 1993 as Frida adapts to her new life in the country and her role as older sister to her cousin. At first, Frida has difficulties adjusting, as the environment she is surrounded by in the countryside is vastly different from that which she knew in the city. At one point, Frida even considers running away. However, as the film progresses, Frida begins to integrate with her new family and enjoy spending time with them at the pool and at home, where she is seen dancing with her adoptive father. The film concludes at the end of the summer, when Frida finally begins to express her true emotions in the presence of her new family.

Cast

 * Laia Artigas as Frida
 * Paula Robles as Anna
 * Bruna Cusí as Marga
 * David Verdaguer as Esteve
 * Fermí Reixach as Avi (Abuelo)
 * Isabel Rocatti as Avia (Abuela)
 * Montse Sanz as Lola
 * Etna Campillo as Irene
 * Berta Pipó as Tieta Angela
 * Paula Blanco as Cesca
 * Quimet Pla as Gabriel
 * Dolores Fortis as Carnissera
 * Tere Sola as Senyora Carnisseria
 * Josep Torrent as Doctor
 * Cristina Matas as Infermera
 * Noemi Pinana as Organizadora
 * Ricard Catalina as Matador
 * Jordi Figueras as Blai
 * Arnau Ferrer as Cosi

Plot
The film opens with several scenes depicting Frida's move from Barcelona to her new home in the countryside with her adoptive parents (her aunt Marga and uncle Esteve). In one of these moments, Frida's grandmother teaches her how to recite the prayer and hands her a card from Frida's mother's first communion. The card has a picture of Frida's mother on it as a young girl. Shortly after her arrival at her new home, Frida finds a statue of the Virgin Mary in a dirt recess in the woods. Throughout the film, Frida returns to this spot several times, leaving cigarettes and a polka dotted garment with the statue as a gift to her mother.

Later, Frida's mother's illness is mentioned when Frida and Marga are in a meat shop. Marga speaks to the vendor, and it is suggested that the illness was pneumonia, but no one confirms this. Following this scene, Frida sits in the car and itches her arm. Marga tells her not to itch and asks Frida what is wrong. Frida tells Marga that she's bothered by her hair, so Marga hands her a comb to fix it with. Frida throws the comb out the window.

In the next scene, Frida is at the doctor's office getting blood drawn. Frida says that she was told before that there wouldn't be any more tests. Marga and the doctor discuss this, and the doctor tells Marga that they need more tests to ensure that the previous results were correct. Back at the house, Frida is in the yard with Anna. Frida puts on eyeshadow and lipstick on her cheeks and wears a fur boa as Anna watches. Then, Frida and Anna begin to play mother and child. During the game, Anna repeatedly asks Frida to play with her as if she were her mother, and Frida repeatedly refuses, saying that she's too sore to play and that they will play later. Later, Frida lies in bed, prays, and looks at her mother's communion card.

In the next scene, Frida is introduced to Irene while watching the "big heads." Then, the two girls are seen talking on the playground, but every time Frida asks Irene a question, Irene answers and then moves to the other side of the playground. Eventually, Irene tells the other children that Frida is playing the game with them now. Irene and the other kids run away from Frida, leaving her to chase them. While running, Frida trips and scrapes her knee. Irene's mother tells Irene not to touch Frida, and Marga tells Irene's mother not to say things like that where everyone can hear them. Back home, Marga cleans the wound with heavy duty gloves, and tells Anna to stay away until she's finished.

Later, Frida's grandfather (Fermí Reixach) and grandmother (Isabel Rocatti) come to visit. During the visit, Marga asks Frida to tie her shoe, but Frida refuses, asking her grandfather to do it instead. Marga tells Frida that she must do it, and Frida refuses again. Then, Frida's grandmother once again teaches Frida the prayer as a way to connect with her mother. Frida's grandmother tells Frida that her mother loved her very much. In the next scene, Frida's grandparents tell Marga and Esteve that they want to visit on Sundays, but Marga and Esteve aren't sure about this. It is revealed that Frida's mother wrote a letter with her wishes for Frida after her death, but Frida's grandmother says that her mother always made bad decisions.

Next, Frida and Anna are playing outside at night when Anna runs to Esteve and begins to dance with him, placing her feet on top of his. Frida watches the dancing and smiles. Esteve then takes Frida's hands and dances with her. While they are dancing, Marga tells Anna to tie her shoes. Anna refuses and asks her to tie them, to which Marga tells Anna that she has to tie her own shoes because she knows how to. Later, Frida is in bed and prays once again while holding her mother's communion card.

Later, Anna finds Frida, but Frida says she doesn't want to play. Frida then leads Anna out to the forest. Once far enough into the trees, Frida tells Anna to climb a tree, sit down, and hide until Frida comes back. In the next shot, Marga calls for Anna but can't find her. Marga asks Frida if she has seen Anna, and Frida says that the last time she saw Anna she was with Marga. Then, Frida tries to find Anna by retracing her steps in the forest. Frida calls Anna's name and keeps walking around in the woods but does not find her. In the next shot, Anna has a cast on her arm. Marga tells both girls to wash their hands, and Frida does not. Later, Marga says that Frida has no morals and that she is worried for Anna. Esteve defends Frida but agrees to set boundaries for her.

Later, Frida calls Esteve Papa and asks him if she can go in the water at the pool. Esteve tells her to wait twenty minutes. Frida asks where Marga is, and Esteve tells her that she isn't feeling well. Frida goes to find Marga and checks to make sure she is breathing, asking twice if she is sick. Marga tells Frida that she has her period and that's why she doesn't feel well. There is a shot of Marga removing a bloody pad. In the next scene, it is revealed that someone wet the bed during the night, but Anna says it wasn't her. Frida says she doesn't feel well but can't go to the doctor. Marga (who Frida now calls Mom) says that of course she can go to the doctor. Frida asks if she will get poked with needles anymore. Marga says no and tells Frida that she's only allergic to cats and very healthy. Later, Marga and Frida share a popsicle at the pool.

Then, there is a series of shorter scenes. First, Frida is with Esteve in the woodshop taking her training wheels off of a bike. Anna can't find the cat, and Esteve tells her that the cat has gone on a trip and will be okay. Later, the family is at a watering hole, and Anna falls in the water after Frida taunts her. Esteve admonishes Frida. Then, there is a scene in which a sheep is killed. Frida watches as the blood drains out of its neck. In the following scene, there are people dancing to live music. Frida sits on a bench, watching the other kids play.

In the next sequence, Frida refuses the gift of a blue nightdress from her grandmother because she wanted a pink one like the one that Anna gets. Her grandmother tells her that she will get a new pink one, but Marga tells Frida to go wash the dress and drink her milk. While washing the dress, Frida tells Lola that Marga and Esteve make her do everything. At the end of the visit, Frida wants her grandmother and Lola to stay and gets into their car as they are trying to leave. Esteve carries her out of the car and holds her struggling body while the car drives away.

In the next scene, which occurs at night, Frida packs up her dolls and other toys, attempts to tie her shoes, and takes fruit from the kitchen. While she is in the kitchen, Anna asks her where she is going. Frida says she is going home because no one loves her there, and Anna responds that she loves her. Frida gives Anna her barbie before leaving. Later, Marga, Esteve, and Anna call for Frida and look for her. Frida is listening to them search for her from behind the house, and she eventually walks back towards the house, revealing that she hadn't run away. Frida tells her family that she will leave tomorrow because it's too dark out now.

In one of the final scenes, Marga helps Frida prepare her math book for school. Frida asks Marga how her mother passed away, and Marga says that a virus was the cause of her death. According to Marga, this virus killed Frida's mother when it became more powerful than her weakened body. Frida asks if the doctor knew what he was doing. Marga tells Frida that the doctor tried as hard as he could, but that he couldn't cure it. Frida asks Marga if her mother bled during her illness, to which Marga explains that usually illnesses don't cause a lot of bleeding. Frida asks more questions, and Marga continues to answer. Then, Frida asks what her mother's last words were, to which Marga explains that her mother didn't have any last words. Frida wonders why her mother didn't speak about her in her final moments. Finally, Frida asks if Marga will fall ill, and Marga replies that she won't.

In the last scene, Esteve, Anna, and Frida are playing on the bed when Frida starts sobbing. Frida and Anna are wearing their new nightgowns from Frida's grandmother. Esteve and Marga ask her what's wrong, but Frida says she doesn't know. The movie ends with a shot of Marga, Esteve, Anna, and Frida on the bed. Frida is crying, and the rest of the family is surrounding her.

Inspiration
In an article by Academia. La Revista del Cine Español, Simón explains that she was inspired to make the film by her own experiences as a child. When Simón was six years old, her mother died as a result of AIDS, and she moved in with her aunt, uncle, and cousin on her mother's side of the family. Simón explains that the movie has helped her to come to terms with her past, and she hopes that the same may be true for audience members who watch the film. In fact, many of the scenes were shot in the same town in which Simón grew up with her aunt, uncle, and cousin.

In an interview with Inside Cinema, Simón explains that many of the scenes in the film were based on pictures of her childhood. Several of these scenes include Frida and Anna climbing the tree, Frida and Anna in the bathtub, Frida painting her face with makeup, Frida and Anna washing their dresses, and Marga, Esteve, Frida, and Anna in the bed together. Certain set locations were also based on Simón's childhood home, such as the pool bar and the forest. In an interview with Variety, Simón explains that she wanted to follow the spontaneity of the young actors with her filming, opting for longer shots whenever possible.

Production
The companies that produced Summer 1993 were Inicia Films and Avalon. The film was produced by Valérie Delpierre and co-produced by María Zamora and Stefan Schmitz. Its executive producers were Delpierre and Zamora. Summer 1993 was written and directed by Carla Simón and edited by Ana Pfaff and Dídac Palou. The camerawork was done by Santiago Racaj. On opening night, the film made $21,307. In the All-Time Domestic Box Office ranking, the film is ranked 11,528th with $185,903 in revenue (not adjusted for inflation). Internationally, the film made $2,565,941 in total as of April 20, 2023.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Summer 1993 holds an approval rating of 100% based on 98 reviews. Reviews listed on the website highlight Simón's inspiration for the film and praise her for capturing the essence of her experiences through her work. Critics also praise the young actors for their moving performances of many complicated emotions, including grief. 19 critic reviews on the website Metacritic combine to rate the film an 81 out of 100. This number indicates "universal acclaim"; it is listed as a "Metacritic must-see." One review from Paste Magazine describes how Summer 1993 "does what movies do so well (and yet so rarely do), which is to let viewers see the world through the eyes of another."

On the film review website RogerEbert.com, Odie Henderson gives the film three stars out of four. He explains how, since Frida's perspective remains enveloped in her childhood experiences throughout the film, it is the job of the viewer to parse out important details that Frida doesn't understand. Henderson notes that the film uses the motif of blood to allude to the cause of Frida's parents' deaths (illness linked to AIDS), since the adults in the film never explain the cause to Frida directly. Surrounding the deaths, Henderson highlights, is a deep feeling of shame for the characters who are old enough to understand the implications.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gives Summer 1993 five stars, titling his review "stunning drama of a childhood ripped apart." Bradshaw calls the film "subtle" and "rich" and praises Simón's ability to create meaning through the numerous scenes of Frida and Anna playing. He also notes the strength of the performances of Laia Artigas (Frida) and Paula Robles (Anna), explaining that acting at that age is different from what it is as an adult. For these actresses, Bradshaw suggests, the action of the film "is real." In addition, Summer 1993 is listed as a NYT Critic's Pick. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times notes the emotions that are communicated through the film, culminating in what she describes as "gentle catharsis."