35mm Print

“Rohmer’s masterpiece … An absorbing, empathic portrait of a complex woman caught between her own obstinacy and melancholy.”

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

Forty years on and as radiant as ever, Eric Rohmer’s enchanting ode to summertime sadness remains one of his most cherished (and relatable) masterpieces. Originally released in North America as, simply, ​“Summer,” The Green Ray arrived as the fifth installment of the French auteur’s Comedies and Proverbs cycle, and takes its operative aphorism from Rimbaud: ​“Ah for the days/​That set our hearts ablaze.” Rohmer regular Marie Rivière, improvising much of her performance, plays dispirited Parisian Delphine, ditched by her friend on the cusp of summer vacation and now scrambling to make alternate plans before returning to her ho-hum secretarial life. She’s insecure, somewhat introverted, and searching for signs—in playing cards and an elusive atmospheric phenomenon—of fated love as she ricochets from one postcard destination to another, undergoing a deeper sense of loneliness with each romanceless sojourn. Until… Rohmer’s evergreen classic, winner of the Golden Lion at Venice, is nothing short of sublime.

In French with English subtitles

One of the Ten Greatest Films of All Time
Mia Hansen-Løve, Hong Sangsoo, Sight and Sound 2022 poll

“Deceptively simple, the film oozes honesty and spontaneity; the word, quite bluntly, is masterpiece.”

Geoff Andrew, Time Out
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