The Summer with Carmen Review

At its core, The Summer With Carmen follows two gay best friends, Demosthenes (Yorgos Tsiantoulas) and Nikitas (Andreas Lampropoulos), who decide to collaborate on a new film project inspired by a transformative summer they shared two years earlier. As they revisit and reimagine their past experiences, the film takes a playful, meta-approach, blurring the lines between memory, fiction, and creative interpretation.

That pivotal summer, Demos was nursing the wounds of a painful breakup with his long-term boyfriend, Panos (Nikolaos Mihas). In an impulsive move, Panos adopted a dog named Carmen but soon realized he wasn’t up to the task of taking care of her. The act of writing about these events allows Demos and Nikitas to reflect on their personal growth, leading the film into a seamless back-and-forth between past and present, narration and creation, reality and imagination.

A film within a film is not a groundbreaking narrative device, but in The Summer with Carmen, it’s used effectively. The story is structured into three clear acts — the setup, the hero’s journey, and the transformation that follows. While the plot might seem uneventful at first, focusing on everyday life and small interactions, the meta-narrative adds layers of meaning, making it more engaging. The transitions between time-periods are fluid, complemented by breathtaking visuals of Greece in the summer: sun-kissed beaches, shimmering blue waters, and golden light that seems to stretch endlessly across the horizon.

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Beyond the picturesque landscapes, the cinematography stands out in unexpected ways. The scenes at the nudist beach, for instance, have a fascinating composition. Demosthenes and Nikitas move around each other in poses reminiscent of classical Greek sculptures, while the background nudists create a tableau that feels like a living, breathing painting, an ode to the timeless beauty of the human form against the vastness of nature.

Despite its structured three-act format, the film ultimately follows a seemingly selfish, perpetually naked Greek man who repeatedly claims he is changing, only to revert to his old ways. The final act delivers an unexpected but satisfying touch: a playful breaking of the fourth wall, tying everything together in a way that makes the audience feel like part of the story.

With its sun-drenched visuals, effortless humor, and charmingly meta storytelling, The Summer with Carmen is a breezy yet thought-provoking watch—a film that feels like a lazy summer afternoon, with all the warmth, nostalgia, and fleeting beauty that comes with it.