Summer ’36 is a Middling Riviera Period Drama
Summer ’36 is set in 1930s Nice and has a good aesthetic for the era. Unfortunately, the ’30s Nice and the murder mystery isn’t enough to create a compelling miniseries. Nice is a picturesque setting, but it can’t save the slow and lethargic story. While the visuals are filled with drama, the plot has long gaps without any sort of narrative drive.
A Visual Feast with Hollow Stakes
The cinematography by Virginie Saint-Martin is a strong component of the series, especially as it captures the French Riviera in that beautiful nostalgic light of those early paid holidays. It really shows the optimism of that time and era. The production design does an excellent job of transporting you back to 1936 and does a wonderful job of creating an environment that is really immersive for that period of time.
The main problems lie with the writing. Creating an interesting murder investigation seems to be a lot more tricky than most people think, especially when you are trying to capture the social dynamics of the four central women. While the premise strives to show a driven and compelling class and crime crossover, it really falls short with the investigation suffering from a lack of pacing while a lot of the focus is placed on the atmosphere and the slow build of the case.
Character Depth versus Plot Mechanics
Julie de Bona and Sofia Essaïdi commit to their roles and help bring a sense of reality to characters who sometimes lack that from the writing. The leads have great chemistry, but are subjected to dialogue more focused on period diction and exposition than the reality of a murder. The murder mystery should bring a sense of ‘whodunnit’ and develop tension within the story and its subplots, but instead the show wanders aimlessly through its subplots. The investigation into the death of the prosecutor feels more like an afterthought and loses focus as the primary focus of the story, and in order for the audience to feel satisfied and for it to have a sense of admiration, the show lacks a finale with any real impact.
Who Should Invest Their Time
This series is for audience members who like a good atmospheric costume movie. I would put this in the background when doing laundry. It is really good scenery for when you need to relax and massage your eyeballs a little bit without thinking about what happens next.
This series is also for audience members looking for a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. The show takes its sweet time to get to the point and the crime is super thin, making this show a big waste of time for audience members looking for something with decent plot and entertaining characters.
