Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud), a recent graduate student and aspiring musician, spends three weeks in the French seaside of Bretagne for summer vacation where he awaits the arrival of his girlfriend, Lena (Aurelia Nolin). At a local restaurant, he flirts with a waitress, Margot (Amanda Langlet), and soon the two of them form a platonic relationship as they walk along the beach. Margot sets him up with one of her friends, Solene (Gwenaëlle Simon), whom she think he'll like. Gaspard, however, doesn't really know which of the women in his life he truly wants as his girlfriend.

    Writer/director Eric Rohmer takes a simple plot and weaves it into a complex, deeply human romantic drama. he fact that Rohmer blends witty comic relief so naturally and effectively reflects Rohmer's skills as a writer and as a human being---he knows just how much humor to include and what kind without catering to the lowest common denominator. There's nothing physically explicit per se, in other word, but there is plenty of emotional explicitness because the characters talk a lot about life, love and everything in between as they share their thoughts and feelings. Rohmer is clearly a filmmaker who grasps human emotion which can be sensed during the many organic conversations. He also grasps how human beings change, or, in some cases, they don't change. He wisely doesn't judge the characters, but rather lets you do the judging for yourself and to figure out whether you think they've learned anything by the end of the summer vacation.

    Gaspard, convincingly played by the well-cast Melvil Poupaud, is far from perfect---he has narcissistic qualities and lacks maturity---but he's fallible like every human being. It's those flaws that makes him an interesting character, and you'll find it compelling as you watch him decide with whom he wants to end up with. How refreshing it is to watch a film where there's more than just pretty scenery: there are conversations and debates where people not only talk a lot, but also say a lot to boot. Yes, it was made nearly 20 years ago, but there's a universality and depth to the film that makes it timeless and relatable even two decades later. Concurrently wise, honest, breezy, witty and profound, A Summer's Tale is an intellectually and emotionally rewarding date movie for sophisticated couples.