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Michel Blanc's adaptation of Joseph Connolly's novel SUMMER THINGSVACANCES ANGLAISES romps through scene after scene of riotous romantic upheaval and treachery. The story follows two eccentric families on holiday together in Touquet, France. One family, however, is privately bankrupt, and can only afford a caravan on the outskirts of town. Casual infidelity and small deceits are the norm, as almost each character, young and old, becomes involved in a summer tryst. Class issues figure widely throughout the film, pressurising relationships to their breaking point, and even driving one of the characters to suicide. Poignant moments of real loneliness complement the silly madness of sex and love, and become the motivation for utter debauchery. Unexpected attractions between disparate characters reinvent the bourgeoisie, or bringing true desire to the surface. As the holiday comes to a close, everyone either seems more resolved about their lives and loves, or driven to new extremes of psychosis, long past help. An incredible ensemble cast makes this well written film memorable, including director Michel Blanc as Jean Pierre, a deluded husband, and Charlotte Rampling as Elisabeth, the wise but vulnerable matriarch. Although the film flip flops between earnest and comedic problems of money, monogamy, and longing, there is clearly only one way to escape from these pressures, and that is to partake in some insatiable bed hopping. A fizzing French farce.
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