What did I actually just see? I'm not quite sure yet. It all begins with a family holiday on the North Sea. Miriam (Martina Gedeck), her fifteen-year-old son Nils (Lucas Kotaranin) and his precocious girlfriend Livia (Svea Lohde) try to spend their holidays together without a care in the world. But Livia meets the charming Bill (Robert Seeliger) and falls in love. Miriam believes that this is an unhealthy relationship, tries to prevent the bond, but in turn falls in love with the bon vivant herself. An affair begins. Bill, however, cannot forget Livia and leaves Miriam. Deeply hurt, the mother tries to talk to the girl when a serious accident occurs... Who wouldn't remember the claustrophobic relationship dramas of the 70s? From France? Summer '04 is about the ambivalent handling of (im)morality. The ingredients could make a thriller, but this is avoided at all costs. Everything seems undercooled, there is never anything like tension. On the contrary, in the moments when tension could be built up, the film revolves around details. Again and again, the incidental is focused on, like in a relationship drama. Summer '04 avoids clichés through this kind of staging, but also fails to clarify the motivation of the individual characters: Is Miriam really in love with Bill? And does Bill love Miriam? What guilt does Miriam bear? Are we allowed to feel sympathy? In keeping with the Berlin School, we never know more than the protagonists. Stefan Krohmer may have had a German film noir in mind, but above all he leaves everything in limbo. What have I actually seen? It remains unclear.
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