Summer 1993

Although childhood can be measured in a treasury of summers, Frida’s (Laia Artigas) six-year-old life is one of transition, from Barcelona to the countryside. When her parents die from an unmentioned illness, she is placed in the home of her uncle Esteve (David Verdaguer) and his wife Marga (Bruna Cusi) who have a three-year-old daughter for Frida’s companion. Bereaved with suppressed anger, Frida mistreats her younger cousin and tries to pit her grandparents against her new family, ultimately hoping to have things go her way – all the time. She refuses to tie her shoes, encourages the younger cousin to take risks and plots running away. Based on the memoirs of director Carla Simón, it’s about that period of adjustment when a child has to accept the harsh reality presented.

[NR]