French actor, screenwriter and director Jean Becker's fifth feature film is an adaptation of a novel from 1977 by French director, screenwriter and author Sébastien Raprisot (1931-2003) who wrote the screenplay for the film. It premiered In competition at the 36th Cannes International Film Festival in 1983, was shot on various locations in France and is a French production which was produced by producer Christine Beytout. It tells the story about a flirtatious and ambiguous nineteen-year-old woman named Eliane Wieck who one hot summer returns to her hometown in provincial France with her German mother and handicapped father. Eliane's provocative behaviour makes everyone in town notice her and causes suspiciousness amongst the inhabitants, but one day she is approached by a nice local car mechanic named Fiorimonti who immediately falls in love with her, and a relationship begins to evolve.Finely and engagingly directed by French filmmaker Jean Becker, this finely tuned fictional tale which is narrated by Alain Souchon and mostly from his and the female protagonist's viewpoints, draws an intriguing and multifaceted portrayal of a traumatized and truth-seeking young woman who puts on a facade, acting like a poorly raised child, in order to find the truth about her past. While notable for it's warm and bright countryside milieu depictions, sterling cinematography by cinematographer Etienne Becker, production design by production designer Jean-Claude Gallouin and costume design by costume designer Therese Ripaud, this character-driven story about family relations, vengeance and love, depicts a dark study of character and contains a cryptic and efficient score by French composer Georges Delerue. This thoroughly written thriller and plot-twisting psychological drama from the early 1980s where a French stranger makes her presence known, is impelled and reinforced by it's engaging literary narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity, strong contrasts, impending atmosphere, French actress Isabelle Adjani's prominent acting performance as a bewitching femme fatale in a very complicated role and the fine acting performances by French actor Alain Souchon and French actress Suzanne Flon (1918-2005). An unsettling and diversely romantic mystery which gained the award for Best Actress Isabelle Adjani, Best Supporting actress Suzanne Flon, Best Editing and Best Writing - Adaptation at the 9th César Awards in 1984 and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 36th Cannes Film Festival in 1983.

Isabelle Adjani gives a brilliant, instinctive performance (and she also has several showstopping nude scenes, I might add) as an animalistic, untamed young sexpot who seeks vengeance on the three men that raped her mother 20 years ago. In the first few minutes, the film seems a bit confusing and pointless, but gradually reveals itself to be a multi-layered story with quite a few twists along the way. "One Deadly Summer" deserves more attention (but is difficult to find). (***)

I have been searching to find the name of this film for nearly 3 years now because I am dying to see it again! I have to say IMDB's search capabilites ROCKS! I would never have found this if it weren't for the character search. I just didn't understand why Eliane moved right in with Pin-Pon and his family (I thought she was looking for the men who "hurt" her mother) and when she found the piano in the barn, she became even more suspicious of his family, but WHY did she continue to stay with him??? So, I will watch it again and come back after I figure out what in the world I missed the first time. Thanks IMDB!

I won't try to describe the plot, others can do that better than I. I just want to encourage others to watch this amazing movie. In France, the movie received a great reception, but in the US it appears to have been largely ignored. I keep hoping this movie will be revived, but it has not found a champion yet. If you liked Manon of the Spring, you will love One Deadly Summer!