Summer 1993 – Estuu 1993 (2017)

Directed by: Carla Simon | 97 minutes | drama, family | Actors: Laia Artigas, Paula Robles, Bruna Cusí, David Verdaguer, Fermí Reixach, Montse Sanz, Isabel Rocatti, Berta Pipó, Etna Campillo, Paula Blanco, Quimet Pla, Josep Torrent, Noemí Piñana, Ricard Catalina, Jordi Figueras, Arnau Ferrer, Titon Frauca

‘Summer 1993’ (‘Estiu 1993’) starts off strong. Six-year-old orphan Frida (Laia Artigas) looks inwardly at a fireworks display. In the following scenes she again appears to be a lonely child in an adult world. Uncle and guardian Esteve (David Verdeguer) plays a little on his guitar with his back to Frida, and Grandpa and Grandma teach her the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer about a heaven where Grandma says Mom and Dad are, despite the fact that they did crazy things.”

Aunt Marga (Bruna Cusí) tries to involve Frida as much as possible in the family. All people with good intentions, but the child is orphaned, that much is clear. Not an open door by the way, but a dramatic choice by the makers. What doesn’t help is that Laia Artigas – although endearing, doesn’t act very well. The emotions are sometimes thick with the young actress, and then again they are too flat.

The Catalan director Carla Simón steers the actions of her characters very little and gives us almost no context. Drawing on autobiographical experiences, Simón simply seems to want to seduce the viewer with a depiction of family ties in modern Spain, where parents and children sometimes live far apart, but when the mother visits, she immediately interferes with the children’s family life.

We know that now. Initially, this makes the film seem sluggish, but Simón slowly puts us to sleep; she strikes a chord when she lets Frida take out her grief on her younger niece Anna (Laura Robles). You don’t often see children like Frida portrayed as ‘perpetrators’ – subtly, and gradually more effectively.

Because children know no guilt, they do not know how far they will go. Frida doesn’t know the limits of her power (yet), but you don’t have to teach her to exercise power to get love. Simón continues to use a low pace towards the end and ultimately does not dare to continue. She does her story too short.