Watch here
Jorgen lives abroad but every summer he comes back to Denmark with his wife. He invites, as usual, his neighbours and their teenager son, Thomas, for dinner at his place. Only, this time, there is a strange tension in the air between the adults. After dinner, Jorgen and Thomas go to the beach for a walk. They discover that both have secret problems and the fact they cannot talk about them is creating great stress. As they disclose their secrets to each other, a friendship starts but through the course of the next two summers, their relationship develops in a way they would never have expected.
Three Summers (2006)
Tre Somre (original title)
Each summer, Jorgen and his wife who live abroad go back to Denmark, their homeland. In each occasion, they meet long-time family friends Birgitte, Peter and their son Thomas, who has a cottage just nearby. Jorgen and Thomas have something in common, both walk around the beach before going to bed whilst the others are already fast asleep. When Jorgen confronts Thomas why he is feeling so sad, Thomas reveals a secret in exchange for Jorgen’s one. Then they become closer together keeping each others’ best kept secrets. But through the course of the next two summers their relationship develops in a way they would never have expected…
ALTERNATESEXUALITY.BLOGSPOT.COM
Although this is just a 30 minute short film, it definitely deserved a separate entry in my blog. ‘Cute’ was the first word when I was 5 minutes in the film and it ended the same way. In between it had its bittersweet moments but in my opinion a very well handled overall theme. The interactions and relationships between two individuals who are very different from each other in every which way be it age, likes, sexual orientation and how it ends.
The film is kind of 3 acts and shows the three summers over a span of 3 years. Jorgen lives abroad, but every summer he comes back to Denmark with his wife. He invites, as usual, his neighbours and their teenager son,Thomas, for dinner at his place. Only, this time there is a strange tension in the air between the adults. After dinner, Jorgen and Thomas go to the beach for a walk. They discover that both have secret problems, and the fact they cannot talk about them is creating great stress. They decide to share a secret each. Thomas tells he is gay and Jorgen says that he wants to divorce his wife. With this a new friendship begins. Its the second summer now and Jorgen, now divorced invites his neighbors again. Thomas stays back to hang out with Jorgen. They are generally chit-chatting and the night ends up in them having sex. Finally , the third summer comes. Jorgen has met a new girl and is very happy with her and is having a party with his friends. Thomas shows unannounced. Jorgen freaks out but all Thomas wants is a final kiss for the sake of keeping each other’s secret. Initially hesitant, Jorgen finally complies and Thomas leaves him very peacefully and quietly.
How over the course of three summers, a friendship starts and how the relationship develops is shown in such a beautiful manner. The first time they both share a secret was such a nice, simple scene. It could have been from anyone’s life when people much more comfortable sharing secrets with strangers. The intimate scene in the second summer was also handled with sensitivity but it was the finale which was superb. Some people might judge the fact that a middle age man is getting sexual with a teenage boy but you need to see the whole chemistry with an open mind. How Jorgen is scared, how Thomas is heart-broken but then finally they are both at peace by just a simple kiss. They both know they need to move on and they do.
