Summertime (2001) User Reviews

Nice to look at - but pretty empty.

[Pedro-37 · 5/10 · 1 June 2002]

"Summer Time" is an erotic drama with lots of nudity and sex scenes. They are beautifully shot. But what goes on around the sex is nothing of interest. It's basically the story of a young man who watches his neighbors in bed, gets aroused and has sex with the wife by imitating her husband. When she discovers that the guy sleeping with her is not her man, she doesn't push him away. They become lovers. An adultery movie. I guess we had that before.

There is a certain edge to you average adultery movie though: "Summer Time" is pretty rough. For example, the first shot and the finale are bloody. And you see a shot of sperm. Those offended by such a depiction should best avoid "Summer Time". Everyone else is not really urged to watch it neither - because it's not very good. There are way better ways and films to kill 104 minutes.

Rating: 5/10

Good Remake

[dokvader · 6/10 · 17 May 2005]

This movie is apparently a tribute or a remake of the Filipino movie Scorpio Nights. The original directed by Peque Gallaga that have reached cult status.

Many of the film aspects were originally retained like the protagonists and supporting characters, scenes with some variation from the original and location/setting of the house is alike but only in a different country and also the character's story arc were different.

The main character was silent, reserved and a bit mysterious. Compared with the lead from Scorpio Night that was more stoic and not lively. The supporting characters or the neighbors here has only a minor role unlike the original which can be a representation of the society back then.

Overall it was a good remake and it has great perspective in varying certain scenes but the ending was so-so.

like 80's French erotic movies...

[TexRogers · 16 June 2003]

I was not sure what to expect from this film when reading the two commments here before seeing it. My conclusion is that Summer Time goes quite in the same sense of the erotic french drama's from the eighties like "37°2 le matin" with Béatrice Dalle, "La Bonne" with Florence Guérin or even "Breathless" with Richard Gere and Valérie Kaprisky. They all have in common that they play during a very hot summer and combine tame nudity (showing breasts - you can see more flesh at any European beach during the summer nowadays...) and sweaty lovemaking in a dimly lit place while the ventilator hums in the background. So far so good. All of these movies do have in common that they are a bit dull when it comes to the storyline. But more later and also my opinion about the two previous comments...

When I put the DVD into the player I was so surprised! The leading actress (the cheating wife) is played by a very famous korean singer (she also sings the end credits - great song!) from the former pop group Roo'Ra (spoken: Rula) that she would show off so much was really surprising (I have a Roo'Ra VCD with their best songs brought home from my last visit in Korea). She indeed is quite a lovely sight...

Now on to the story. The plot is indeed very meaningless. Student revolutioneer hides from the officials in a rural town and rents a room on top of a young couple. He discovers several peeking holes and watches the bored wife dance and stretch/work out in sexy lingerie on her bed. The student protests are just used as a vessel for the reason of him being there and has nothing to do of whatsoever with the story. Also the end is pretty clear you see the husband carrying a gun occasionally throughout the movie the reason for showing these scenes made the ending not at all surprising. But back to the hiding student. He watches the couple having very unloving sex with each other. When the hubby comes home from night shift he just jumps onto his sleeping wife from behind and takes her, then stops as soon as he's finished - and that happens every day. When the husband loses his keys the student jumps on the opportunity and does the same thing with the bored and always faking sleep during intercourse housewife. The second time she notices him and they start an affair. So most of the movie is spent showing quite tame lovemaking as it can be seen in the above mentioned French movies. The plus of Summer Time is that the lovemaking is shot quite beautifully the minus is that there is not really much of a story going on. You later find out that the husband has raped his wife when they first met while he wanted to arrest her father and she, not knowing what to do after loosing her "pride" followed him and they married. He loved posessing her pretty body but none of them really loved each other in fact she hated him but for whatever reason stood with him. You could say that my opinion varies a little from the two previous ones. The film certainly wasn't a harsh sex movie that only adults can watch (nowadays) nor was it displaying the student struggles of the early 80ies in South-Korea. It is just a nice erotic teaser for people who like to see something else besides the ordinary XXX flicks. It's for fans of "art" movies and tasteful erotica. Fans of a good plot with many twists and p*rn will be disappointed but all others should give it a try when in the right mood at a warm summer evening with a glass of wine.

I am almost certain it was based from "Scorpio Nights(1985)" by Peque Gallaga

[aldwin-galapon · 1/10 · 22 January 2006]

It is but a mere copy-cat, a cheap imitation of the original storyline directed by Peque Gallaga with the writing prowess of Rosauro Dela Cruz. Follow the link below. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117568/) I don't think it really portrayed relevance to the so-called "allegory to the situation in South Korea during the '70s and '80s". It was merely implied that one of the characters was a democratic rights protester/student, and there were no credible circumstances where he in fact was really what the director made us believe. The student, the wife, and the husband (who incidentally was also a security guard, go figure...), including the depiction of the prevailing situation of the community up to the sequences of events. Can anyone explain the detailed resemblance of this movie to Gallaga's "Scorpio Nights"? By the way, this movie was showed on screen 16 years after "Scorpio Nights".

Summertime IS a rip off of Scorpio Nights!

[the_iconoclastic_moreh · 7/10 · 3 March 2007]

Yojimbo999 is the one that "doesn't know what he's talking about!" He obvious has never seen Scorpio Nights! From the moment that Summertime came on, I noticed it! The young peeping tom dude is living directly above the married couple with the sexy wife, and the abusive security guard husband. The peeping tom pervert that lives upstairs watches them nightly through a hole in the floor, and learns of the husband's routine: He comes home, sits down at table, which always has his dinner automatically spread out for him, all nice and neat. The hot wife is fast asleep (supposedly) on the bed. When the husband finishes eating, he goes behind the mosquito net, and has sex with his woman. If I recall correctly, she doesn't even open her eyes, but just lets her husband get off, then rolls over and goes back to sleep. Same precise routine, night after night, after night. Meanwhile, outside, there are a bunch of Filipino unemployed losers drinking and singing (this is every night also). One night, the peeper comes downstairs early, moves the dishes around the table like he's eating, then does the nasty with the security guard husband's wife. The only thing that I can't recall about Scorpio Nights exactly, was was it the "first" time, or the "second" time that the peeping tom screwed her, that she revealed to him that she was only "pretending" to be asleep and unawares, but realized the entire time that she was aware that it wasn't her husband doing her, but the handsome young peeping tom from upstairs! The wife, and the young peeping tom become lovers. Now, when I'm watching the Korean remake, "Summertime," I noticed that the ENTIRE film is one big rip off of Scorpio Nights: Same upstairs peeper, same sex routines, same seduction method by the peeping tom, same unemployed losers drinking and singing outside (this time they're Koreans), and same revenge by the cuckold husband! SOMEONE in Korea, who was involved in the making of this film ("Summertime"), most certainly deserves to be sued for copyright infringement! Anyone doubting this (this includes you, Yojimbo999), can log on to the official website of Regal Films, which I believe is www.regalfilms.com, and if it isn't, just do a web search for "Regal Films" (they made Scorpio Nights), and order a copy of Scorpio Nights on DVD (don't order Scorpio Nights 2, which is a separate film), and watch the Filipino original, Scorpio Nights first, then watch that Korean rip off, Summertime, next, back-to-back. There is no refuting this! Yojimbo999 is either in denial, or he's a liar!

Explicit But Still Effective

[NIXFLIX-DOT-COM · 7/10 · 28 August 2003]

SUMMERTIME is probably too explicit in the sex department. It doesn't have to be, but there you have it. If plenty of skin and simulated sex doesn't turn you off, then SUMMERTIME offers up an interesting take on South Korea's road to democracy. The movie itself is a thin allegory to South Korea's turbulent late '70s and early '80s, as the democracy movement gained steam and was finally able to tear free from the restraints of their military dictators.

The film itself could have used some subtlety, and most people unfamiliar with South Korea politics and history would not "get" this part of it. Still, for those who know, SUMMERTIME gives a good microcosm of the events of the time.

But again, the movie is rather sexually explicit, so be warned.

7 out of 10

(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie or reviews of other foreign films)

Effective erotic metaphor

[Jithindurden · 7/10 · 26 February 2022]

Unlike the original film Scorpio Nights, this remake actually makes sense, have some logic and motivation and the allegories work. The original was just an amateurish attempt at softporn that tried to look like something better. This one also goes to the territory of softporn but with some solid base. Even though the acting is sometimes terrible and the narrative is sometimes confused and could have been better in so many ways it does have an authenticity that lacked in the original.

This is a good movie

[yojimbo999 · 8/10 · 23 April 2003]

Don't listen to the other reviewer, he doesn't know what he's talking about. This movie is basically an allegory to the situation in South Korea during the '70s and '80s, and the presence of the student (a democratic rights protestor) who flees to the countryside only helps to bring this home. The wife who is imprisoned in her home and the husband, who is a security guard, are the embodiment of the South Korean people (the wife) and the South Korean government/establisment (the husband). The student is burgeoning democracy. It's when the student finally touches/comes into contact with the wife, that the wife begins to realize that her situation (one of imprisonment) is now how she should live. With the student's presence, the wife is able to break free of her husband's stranglehold. Where once she was content with the status quo, she is now striving for something more. So too was South Korea during the '70s and '80s. Anyone who has studied South Korea would know this. Anyone who hasn't will think the film is meaningless.

not bad... some good sex scenes.

[afterdarkpak · 7/10 · 30 July 2020]

I dont know about the performance, because there isnt much of it. its almost silent movie. quality is also ok for 2001 korean cinema.

its about a horny fugitive who lives 2nd floor and watching hot wife in sleeping dress, later he goes for some real action which he did and she likes it. and then film goes so so from that point of view.

anyhow , its also a sad ending too , which is kinda stupid.

Scorpio Nights - Korean Version? - spoiler alerts

[jerome-palma · 22 January 2007]

I am just beginning to discover Korean cinema so I was really surprised upon seeing this film's uncanny plot similarities with Peque Gallaga's 1985 film, Scorpio Nights.

From the peeping tom- who eventually- gets- a -share- of- what- he- has- been- fantasizing- all- along -premise, down to the husband's routine before the unemotional sex with his wife, it is definitely influenced by Filipino Film in some way. There is a slim chance for things to be coincidental.

Summertime, although also a social commentary, pales in grit when compared with Scorpio Nights. The former has the look of an extended Korean soap - it lacks the dark and raw quality of the latter.

It nevertheless has the SEX and some violence that made Scorpio Nights controversial. If you're looking for a cinematic gem from the exciting Korean Cinema, you might get disappointed, but if you're looking for sex and more sex then this is a nice addition to your soft porn collection.

Alireza.Akhlaghi.Official

[alireza-akhlaghi84 · 8/10 · 7 November 2018]

In the condemnation of human morality, we find that the underlying frameworks of our minds are to collapse. The love that is brought to our minds by force and prostitution is typical of this kind. Rape to what we did not to do for getting it is not only an advantage, but also an illusion of love. The nature of the summertime movie does not help to the type and way we think. Only our intrinsic and unconscious thoughts respond us with a tight slap that will make us wonder where our limit is and there is not going to be anything belong us. Three sides and outlook from the perspective of three people who are directly involved in a problem that is answered with blood, but the attractiveness and art of work are the past and present. Sang Ho, a man who has been forcibly aggression to get tae in the past, has delusional in love, and holds on a rhai for him because he has no place to go. On the other hand, she sees in her daily life that hie sees and loves her, and also she is. The type of tae observation is unique by Hie Ran is unique and in type of erotic. They enter into a relationship that looks good from the point of conscience, but from a moral point of view it cost a lot. The film should be seen and thought down. Because apart from the tragic issue to which the viewer is affected, we must think of the fact that the nature of the problem is at the beginning has side of solvation or not. The movie poses a good challenge.

sexy starlet makes the movie intriguing

[J_Charles · 20 July 2010]

I won't bother summarizing the plot because a) it's been done on this site already by others b) I don't understand a word of Korean

what I do understand is that this is a very well shot, well lit and nobly acted piece of erotica. The actress didn't arouse my interest at first but as the movie went on she seemed to become more and more captivating. Maybe it is because the number of love scenes in this movie increases as it progresses. She has a lovely body to look at and it's on full display in many scenes.

The actors who play her lovers have to be among the luckiest alive as the scenes show them with her in many trysts. The angles of their pelvises, the thrusting, the expressions on their faces all make the sex scenes very realistic.

Another aspect making the scenes highly charged is that they appear to be taken with one camera, one take. So it adds to the highly voyeuristic feel. It's like you're actually there, watching them, in real time - not like those Zalman King movies where it feels like you're watching a rock video with all the cuts and jumps to other angles. this is all one camera, slowly panning, capturing the lovers in sweaty action as if you were there.

Why the explicitness? Well - believe it or not, the differences in a loving thrust versus a thrust that exudes a controlled rage are on display. A loving caress of the breast is contrasted with a more rougher handling of her golden globes. Without understanding a word they were saying I already could tell who truly loved this woman and who was using her as their own personal power trip.

If you're looking for an erotic tale, done with quality, with a beautiful actress, and some semblance of a plot this is it.