Three Summers

For the Brazilian film, see Three Summers (2019 film). For the 1946 novel, see Three Summers (novel).

Three Summers
File:Three Summers poster.jpg
Directed by	Ben Elton
Written by	Ben Elton
Produced by	Michael Wrenn Sue Taylor
Starring	Robert Sheehan Rebecca Breeds
Cinematography	Katie Milwright
Edited by	Peter Pritchard
Production companies	Invisible Republic Taylor Media
Distributed by	Transmission Films Arclight Films
Release dates	12 August 2017 (2017-08-12) (MIFF) 2 November 2017 (2017-11-02) (Australia)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English

Three Summers is an Australian romantic comedy film, written and directed by Ben Elton. It was filmed and is set in Western Australia. Over three consecutive years, two musicians (played by Rebecca Breeds and Robert Sheehan) meet and fall in love at a music festival, described as "Australia in a tent" and a "national kaleidoscope". The film has a large ensemble cast including Magda Szubanski, Michael Caton, Deborah Mailman, Jacqueline McKenzie, and John Waters.

The film had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 12 August 2017, and was released nationally in Australian cinemas on 2 November 2017.

Plot

The film's main plotline revolves around a blossoming romance between its two leads, pretentious theremin player Roland and down-to-earth pub band fiddler Keevy. They meet and fall in love at a music festival over three years, amid a microcosm of Australian society.

The film has several subplots, including about Henry who came to Australia from the United Kingdom as a 7-year-old under the Home Children migration scheme and is now a Morris dancer with fiercely Australian attitudes, who meets a refugee boy and a group of Indigenous dancers, and is re-educated.

The film contains several running gags, including the woke singer Diamond and her renditions of classic Australian songs and poems, two middle-aged couples who by the third summer become swingers, a girl band trio vowing to stay together but then two of the three quit, a drum circle group, and a stern security guard who upholds the rules.

Cast

• Robert Sheehan as Roland
• Rebecca Breeds as Keevey
• John Waters as Eamon
• Deborah Mailman as Pam
• Kelton Pell as Jack
• Jacqueline McKenzie as Professor Wellborn
• Magda Szubanski as Queenie
• Michael Caton as Henry
• Caroline Brazier as Olivia
• Kate Box as Linda
• Caroline Brazier as Olivia
• Peter Rowsthorn as Tony
• Mahesh Jadu as Baktash
• Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nicholas Boshier as Dexter & Jules
• Adriane Daff as Diamond

Production

The film was written and directed by Ben Elton, and edited by Peter Pritchard.

Three Summers was filmed in the Peel region south of Perth, Western Australia, in 2016. It is set at a fictional summer music festival called "Westival" (based on the real-life Fairbridge Festival and filmed there).

Release

Three Summers had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 12 August 2017, and was released nationally in Australia on 2 November 2017.

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 54% of critics reviewed the film positively, with an average score of 4.6/10, based on 13 reviews.

David Stratton of The Australian wrote, "The film is worth seeing for Waters, giving a spirited portrayal of a loving father set in his ways and unable to see that times are changing, and Breeds as his lively, talented, worldly wise daughter."

Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, "It's a relentlessly well-meaning film and when it's not proselytising, it's working very hard to manufacture enough laughs to make the whole mix palatable. However, the effort shows."

External links

• Official website, Transmission Films
• Three Summers at IMDb