Vague Visages’ Endless Summer Syndrome review contains minor spoilers. Kaveh Daneshmand’s 2023 movie on Amazon features Sophie Colon, Mathéo Capelli and Gem Deger. Check out the VV home page for more film criticism, movie reviews and film essays.

Kaveh Daneshmand’s feature directorial debut, Endless Summer Syndrome, parallels the morality-themed classics of French New Wave icon Éric Rohmer, such as 1967’s La Collectionneuse (The Collector) and 1970’s Le Genou de Claire (Claire’s Knee). The Iranian, Prague-based filmmaker positions the audience in the beautiful French countryside, and then uses a 4:3 aspect ratio to develop a sense of familial intimacy between the four main players: a lawyer named Delphine (Sophie Colon) and her novelist husband Antoine (Mathéo Capelli), along with their adopted teenage children, Aslan (Gem Deger) and Adia (Frédérika Milano). A European art house vibe creates a sexually-charged atmosphere during Endless Summer Syndrome’s opening act, setting the tone for an unnerving inciting incident. As Adia bathes topless while Antoine and Aslan enjoy some sun, Delphine receives a phone call about her husband’s drunken admission of having an affair with one of his adopted children. Expertly paced and full of Chabrolian suspense, Endless Summer Syndrome transgressively picks apart the morals and ethics of an extremely liberal family.

It’s shocking to learn that Colon made her feature film debut in Endless Summer Syndrome. Throughout most of the movie, the wonderful actress is framed within elegant environments, whether it’s inside Delphine’s stylish home or outside by the pool. Colon’s eyes seemingly penetrate doors and walls as her character becomes increasingly paranoid and worried about the way Antoine interacts with Aslan and Adia. A comforting touch feels like a sexual suggestion; a fatherly stare could be interpreted as the “male gaze.” From Delphine’s perspective, anything is possible after receiving the bad news; however, the screenplay — written by Daneshmand and Deger, in collaboration with Laurine Bauby — initially guides the audience down a clear path. Colon’s haunting lead performance creates the most tension in Endless Summer Syndrome, though it’s the absence of background detail that just might keep the audience wondering about Delphine and Antoine’s past or the motivations of Aslan and Adia.

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Endless Summer Syndrome’s lack of fluid motion visuals works to its advantage. Cinematographer Cédric Larvoire captures small interior and exterior details, via the film’s subtle mise-en-scène, that establish the worldviews of the main players. For Delphine, it’s the material things that keep her happy, while Antoine appears to value his influence on others. And as Aslan prepares to leave France for college in America, he casually smokes a joint with his mother while looking after his poisonous pet snail, with the implication being that there’s no sense of danger within Delphine and Antoine’s home.

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Meanwhile, Adia appears to feel perfectly comfortable around her adoptive father and brother in Endless Summer Syndrome, so much that she’s willing to bathe nude as they entertain themselves a few feet away. Both of the film’s young actors deliver naturalistic and engaging performances, with Deger reminding of someone like Vincent Cassel (charming yet menacing) and Milano suggesting that she’d be right at home in a provocative production like Euphoria (2019-), evidenced by her on-screen charisma and ability to create empathy for her character, much like Zendaya brings Rue Bennett to life in Sam Levinson’s popular HBO series.

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Ultimately, the slice-of-life tone in Endless Summer Syndrome — executed through a series of static shots — creates a sense of familiarity for the audience, at least until Daneshmand shifts to an intense motion visual during a pivotal reveal sequence. Suddenly and shockingly, all of the mise-en-scène figuratively disappears from the frame as Delphine tries to make sense of her family dynamics and lifestyle.

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The question of consent serves as the foundation for Endless Summer Syndrome’s primary conflict. Did Delphine allow something terrible to happen within her home through her carefree attitude? Or did Antoine manipulate his family members by normalizing behavior that others might consider bizarre and inappropriate? Of course, both things can be true, which then leads the audience to question the agency of both Aslan and Adia, along with the concept of “fight or flight.”

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The narrative truth in Endless Summer Syndrome lies in what goes unsaid and what’s just outside the frame. The film has a poignant, French New Wave-esque title, but it could also be called “Delphine’s Secret,” “Antoine’s Secret, “Aslan’s Secret,” “Adia’s Secret” or maybe just “Snails in the Afternoon.”

Endless Summer Syndrome released theatrically and digitally on December 13, 2024 via Altered Innocence.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor. Thank you for reading film criticism, movie reviews and film essays at Vague Visages.

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