(500) Days Of Summer Review

(500) Days of Summer is a fresh breeze in the stale summer air. I have to say personally it is on my top ten list for this year, so far. It has more honesty and relativity in one frame than most films this year have been able to achieve in their full running time. Now it goes without saying that this film is not for everyone; the film techniques and the non-linear format might turn those off who are more comfortable with regular narrative structures. Nevertheless, the creative approach that the film-makers take to tell the story is what gives the film another layer of nuance. For it's introspection into how we think about relationships in our minds, as scattered fragments of time instead of chronological moments, is what makes the film personally relevant, at least in my opinion.

In a similar way as Annie Hall, High Fidelity, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, (500) Days of Summer takes a male perspective on a romantic relationship. Actually it is more like a relationship built on unrequited love. Although, there are moments where Tom Hanson does share a connection with Summer Finn, she never truly reciprocates his love for her. We never get a full reason for Summer's actions as a character, since we mostly view her through Tom's perspective. However, that is the point, Summer seems undecided about her emotions and her actions because that is how Tom remembers her. She will always be kind of a mystery to him and us the audience.

The film takes different creative techniques to show us Tom's emotional ups and downs. These give us an open window into his mind throughout his 500 day journey. There are too many to highlight, but I will make note of 3 different occasions that I thought were poignant. The first is the dance sequence that occurs after Tom leaves Summer's apartment. I think this dance sequence is a near perfect metaphor for the emotional high a person feels when they fall in love with someone. Of course, it's followed by the depressive downturn many days later. The second is when Tom is sitting in the cinema and is watching himself inserted into different French films. For example for The Seventh Seal homage, Tom plays chess with cupid, instead of death. The third and the one that resonated with me the most was the Reality vs. Expectation sequence. I think we all go through situations expecting an outcome but end up dealing with the reality, which is usually the opposite of what we expected.

(500) Days of Summer is a film that connects with it's audience on a personal level. It delves into the range of feelings that can occur in unrequited love. It takes an authentic introspection into it's themes of heartbreak and hope. Tom is a hopeless romantic and Summer is skeptical about the very notion of romance; these characters both fundamentally represent different sides of the spectrum. However, both are able to reach a middle ground about their varied perspectives. In the end, we are all just waiting for an Autumn after every Summer.