Three Summers

This article is about the 2017 Australian film. For the Brazilian film, see Three Summers (2019 film). For the 1946 novel, see Three Summers (novel).

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 the festival amidst a microcosm of Australian society. The film has a large ensemble cast including Magda Szubanski, Michael Caton, Deborah Mailman, Jacqueline McKenzie, and John Waters.

Three Summers
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

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 also has a subplot about a racist bigot who meets a refugee boy and a group of Indigenous dancers, and is re-educated.

The film contains several running gags, revolving around feminist singer Diamond and her renditions of classic Australian songs and poems, two middle-aged couples who at first seem nice and clean but are actually swingers, a girl band trio vowing to stay together but then two of the three quit, 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

Production

The film was written and directed by Ben Elton,^[1] and edited by Peter Pritchard.^[2]

Three Summers was filmed in the Peel region of Perth, Western Australia, in 2016.^[3][4] It is set at a fictional summer music festival called "Westival" (based on the real-life Fairbridge Festival).^[5]

Release

Three Summers had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 12 August 2017,^[6] and was released nationally in Australia on 2 November 2017.^[7]

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.^[8]

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."^[9]

Conversely, Sandra Hall of the Sydney Morning Herald argued, "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."^[10]