Name: Froid comme l'été
Genre: Drama
Released: 2003-10-03
Duration: 1 h 28 min
Rating: 7.1
Cast: Sarah Grappin, Nathalie Richard, Mika Tard

Difficult to believe this was made for TV

The most chilling aspect of any villain is his or her normalcy. The more aberrant the behavior, the easier it is to dismiss their villainy. Normal folks doing bad things though is a bit more unsettling. We see their ordinariness reflected in the mirror. One such antihero is Rachel (Sarah Grappin) in Jacques Maillot's superb Cold as Summer.

Rachel is a single mother raising a child she doesn't really have the temperament for. She gets Rohypnol from her doctor not only to help her sleep, but to keep the baby from crying at night as well. In any scene where she's with the kid it's clear that she has absolutely no idea what to do in any given situation. Her life is not where she wants it to be but she doesn't know or cannot do what it takes to properly get someplace else. She finds an alternative route that has consequences beyond anything she intended.

Rachel is contrasted with Claire (Nathalie Richard). She's a cop struggling with child issues of her own. Events take her towards Rachel, a woman she is appalled by even as she grows more sympathetic. Both Richard and Grappin put in excellent performances. Maillot and Pierre Chosson's script manages to move the story towards a level of sympathy one wouldn't think to feel for Rachel but it's Grappin's accomplishment that it works so well. One can't help but hope she succeeds while reviling her at the same time.

So much of the effectiveness of this film is predicated on not knowing much about the story line. Suffice to say, it is an excellent movie. All too often made-for-TV films are artistic toilets overflowing with cinematic waste. Cold as Summer is a plunger that makes all that nastiness head down the drain leaving only pristine porcelain perfection to contemplate. OK, the metaphor sucks but you get the point.

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

A female detective investigates the case of a young mother whose infant left behind has died.

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Bernard Yerlès and Sonia Rolland in Foreign Investigations (2010)

Audrey Fleurot, Julie De Bona, and Camille Lou in The Bonfire of Destiny (2019)

Thibault de Montalembert, Liliane Rovère, Assaad Bouab, Fanny Sidney, Camille Cottin, Nicolas Maury, Laure Calamy, Grégory Montel, and Stéfi Celma in Call My Agent! (2015)

Cold as Summer

Photos3

Top Cast27

User reviews2

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed