There is something very special about summer and we wish it would last forever. It could be fresh watermelons or just more vitamin D, it could be ice cream or the fact that we make plans that excite us in a good way – whatever the reason, the summer sun is shining both outside and inside us. It's a wonderful season, and before it leaves us, we'd like it to embrace us one last time for the year. Here is a selection of the ten best summer movies that will conjure up an endless summer.
1. Zabriskie Point (Kota Zabriskie, 1970)
In his depiction of America in the 1960s, director Michelangelo Antonioni follows the story of two college students who meet, touch, and become completely enchanted by Pink Floyd's masterful soundtrack. After getting involved in a student protest, shooting a cop, and flying abroad in a stolen plane, Mark, a philanderer, meets Daria, a hippie anthropology student. Together, they spend their revolutionary summer amidst the deserted peaks of Zabriskie Point. A poetic portrayal of a carefree and radical love affair, hailed by critics as a masterpiece of counterculture cinema.
2. The Talented Mr. Ripley (The Gifted Mr. Ripley, 1999)
Nothing says summer better than the nostalgic Tuscan hills, the golden beaches of the Amalfi Coast and the sun kissing Italy. The thriller, nominated for five Oscars, is the story of Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a boy who is sent to convince spoiled millionaire Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) to return to America. In the end, Tom appropriates his life and identity. Vespas, barges and terraces quickly take an unexpected dark turn in Minghelli's determined and impeccably executed portrait of the Italian sweet life.
3. Les Petits Mouchoirs (Little White Lies, 2010)
The film, which first aired in 2010, is a comedy drama that explores fake friendships and humanity. When tragedy strikes a group of friends and the little white lies they've told each other over the years are exposed, their relationships are put to the test. Accompanied by a wistful soundtrack – including Janis Joplin, The Band and David Bowie – the film brings together Marion Cotillard, Jean Dujardin and François Cluzet in a lush and heartfelt traditional summer vacation.
4. Morte a Venezia (Death in Venice, 1971)
Luchino Visconti's film adaptation of Thomas Mann's novel tells the story of composer Gustav von Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde) who travels to the Venetian coast. In search of rest and inspiration, he becomes obsessed with the ideal beauty of a teenager named Tadzio (Björn Andrésen). As Aschenbach fights his own personal battle against death, he is overcome by passion in this bittersweet masterpiece, one of the most seductive and decadent portrayals of Venice ever seen on the big screen.
5. Over the Edge (1979)
The film, which Kurt Cobain described as "the definition of his entire personality", is a summer classic about a group of teenagers in a pleasant suburb. Capturing the angst of the New Granada community, the film explores the dangers of growing up, sexuality, drugs, rock'n'roll and violence.
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6. Alice in den Städten (Alice in the Cities, 1974)
Summer is a time of chance encounters in places of transit, and that's what happens in Wim Wenders' compelling black-and-white film. When journalist Philip Winter (Rüdiger Vogler) decides to return home to Germany after writer's block, he meets a woman and her nine-year-old daughter Alice. When her mother inexplicably disappears, Winter must take care of her daughter and together they embark on a journey through various German cities in search of her grandmother. Shot in the summer of 1973 and based on a very loose script, the film explores the growth of an unlikely friendship and the phenomenon of the Americanization of Europe, a recurring theme throughout the works of German director Wim Wenders.
7. Badlands (Raw Ballad, 1973)
The famous American director Terrence Malik imbued his feature debut with a disturbing dose of summer chaos. Based on the true story of Charles Starkweather, the film follows Kit (Martin Sheen) who kidnaps teenage girl Holly (Sissy Spacek) and goes on a killing spree. The film is set in the late 1950s and Holly tells the story in the third person. The odyssey of love, death and the quest for freedom is a pictorial masterpiece of American cinema.
8. Stealing Beauty (Dancing Alone, 1998)
Bernardo Bertolucci's 1966 romantic drama follows the angelic-faced teenager Lucy (Liv Tyler) as she embarks on a journey to herself, to love, and to her real father. After the death of her mother, a poet, nineteen-year-old Lucy decides to spend the summer in Tuscany. In search of her real father, whose identity was hidden among her mother's verses, she discovers that they conceived her in Tuscany. From naked sunbathing by the pool to dreamy landscapes and romance in the shade of trees, Bertolucci captures the essence of a lazy and beautiful Italian summer.
9. The Sea (More, 1969)
The sun must be a strong presence every summer, and with Barbet Schroeder's film, we have the feeling that the heat is also radiating from the screen. German student Stefan (Klaus Grunberg) finishes school and embarks on his European adventure - hitchhiking to Paris - where he meets a bohemian American girl, Estelle (Mimsy Farmer), who takes him with her to Ibiza and plunges him into the world of heroin and LSD.
10. Bonjour Tristesse (Hello, sadness, 1958)
Based on the acclaimed novel written by Françoise Sagan, Otto Preminger's film takes place on the beautiful and stunning Cote d'Azur or French Riviera. Cécile (Jean Seberg) is a promiscuous schoolgirl who sees her undisciplined lifestyle threatened by the new partner of her wealthy playboy father (David Niven). Do your best to end this summer romance.
