Fridae

Actor Antonio Banderas turns out to be a surprisingly good director of actors in this Spanish drama about a group of young men trying to find meaning and purpose in their lives and loves. Despite their strong performances however, the script and technical direction fall way short of expectations, making Summer Rain an unconvincing and unsatisfying piece of cinema.

Twinky Alberto Amarilla plays a young man who, after a kidney removal, decides to pursue life with renewed vigour. He meets his dream girl (Maria Ruiz) but is also drawn to an older seductress (Victoria Abril). Meanwhile, his best buddy (Felix Gomez) is having a torrid affair with a hot temptress while another buddy (Raul Arevalo) has some Oedipal issues to work out over his porn-star mother.

Summer Rain attempts to be a coming-of-age film peppered with frequent sexual liaisons. But the story is too superficial, meandering and confusing to really engage you, while the flashy camerawork and visual gimmicks only serve to distract and annoy.

What a pity, since the acting is really not bad.