Content:  

In this podcast, we talk about the French thriller classic “One Deadly Summer” (FRA 1983), directed by Jean Becker and starring Isabelle Adjani.  

We outline the plot, which centers on a young woman named Eliane who arrives in a small French town and manipulates a local mechanic with a hidden and vengeful agenda stemming from the past.  

We analyze Adjani's portrayal of the femme fatale and the film's themes of seduction and the objectification of women, noting its effective use of setting and narrative shifts. We ultimately recommend the film as a compelling French thriller.  

Plot:  

In the spring of 1976, a 19-year-old beauty, her German-born mother, and her disabled father move to a small town in southern France. The provocative Eliane catches everyone's attention, including that of car mechanic Ping-Pong.  

Ping-Pong isn’t usually shy—after all, he’s sleeping with the married wife of a cinema owner. But he doesn’t dare approach the stunning Eliane, convinced she’d reject him outright.  

So, she takes matters into her own hands. One thing leads to another. Even though it becomes clear fairly early that Eliane is mentally unstable, Ping-Pong marries her.  

Until the very end, he fails to realize that she has an agenda—a sinister plan that turns the hot season in this small town into a deadly summer.