Capricious Summer
dir. Jiří Menzel · 1968
Plot
Middle-aged Antonin and his friends, the major, now retired, and the canon, are in the river, swimming and philosophizing. Then it starts to rain. It just seems to be that sort of summer. Antonin runs the swimming bath with his portly wife Katherine... A man appears with his horse-drawn caravan. He lays a striped pole across the river and walks over. With a handstand and a magic trick, Ernie the Conjuror invites everyone to that evening's performance... Ernie is a tightrope walker of only modest skill, but with a slim and beautiful assistant, Anna. Antonin speaks to her. The two spend the night in the change room by the river, Antonin massaging her feet all night long. Katherine decides to move into the caravan with Ernie. But now the major and even the canon sense Anna's attractiveness...
Why watch
"Capricious Summer" invites viewers into a languid exploration of midlife longing and fleeting beauty, where philosophical musings intertwine with the bittersweet nature of desire. This film captures the essence of a summer that is both enchanting and melancholic, making it a poignant reflection on the complexities of love and aging.