A Summer Dress
| Une robe d'été | |
|---|---|
 French poster | |
| Directed by | François Ozon |
| Produced by | Olivier Delbosc |
| Written by | François Ozon |
| Music by | Sonny Bono |
| Cinematography | Yorick Le Saux |
| Edited by | Jeanne Moutard |
Release dates |
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Running time | 15 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
A Summer Dress (French: Une robe d'été) is a 1996 short film directed by François Ozon about a lagging gay relationship that is refueled in an unexpected way.
Plot
Luc (Frédéric Mangenot) spends his holiday at the sea with his slightly older and decidedly more effeminate boyfriend, Sébastien (Sébastien Charles). At the house they have rented, Sébastien's dancing and preening frustrates Luc, who rebukes him that the neighbors might see. Irritated, Luc goes off on his bicycle to the beach, hoping to find some solitude.
On the beach, Luc is finally alone and goes skinny dipping. Afterward, he sunbathes in the nude, and then he meets Lucia (Lucia Sanchez), a Spanish tourist about his age, who, after some flirtatious conversation, invites Luc to accompany her into the nearby wood for a tryst. Luc, though somewhat bashful, obliges with little hesitation. After having sex, Lucia learns that Luc is erotically involved with Sébastien and has never been with a woman.
The two return to the beach to find that Luc's clothes have been stolen. Lucia lends Luc her summer dress so that he won't have to return home completely naked. Wearing a woman's dress improves Luc's mood as a car honks its horn after him on the ride back. He returns to the cabin with a smile and a renewed sense of freedom. Luc surprises Sébastien on entering, and, after a few amused remarks about the dress (Luc flirtatiously refers to himself as a "beautiful girl"), the two have passionate sex in the kitchen. The dress is partially torn in the act.
The next day, Luc mends the summer dress and brings it back to Lucia, who is just leaving, but she refuses to accept it, coyly suggesting that it may come in handy in the future. She kisses Luc goodbye, and the final frame shows Luc watching her depart, the dress wrapped around his neck and fluttering in the sea breeze.
Reception
The film won awards at the Brest European Short Film Festival and the L.A. Outfest.