"Chronicle of a Summer" has been hailed as a pioneering work of "cinema verite". Today, of course, the novelty in regular, everyday people being interviewed or followed around in their daily activities by a camera has largely been lost. But the film still has relevant, revealing, even touching moments (the accounts of the toll that a dull, routine job takes on a person hit a little too close to home for yours truly!). The lack of a unifying structure causes it to ramble, and even become boring, at times; the most unique aspect - and best part - comes at the last 10 minutes, when the filmmakers and the participants gather to watch a screening of the film and then analyze and comment on it, in mostly less-than-flattering tones. I don't remember seeing anything like this part before. It raised my rating by half a star. *** out of 4.
Review of Chronicle of a Summer
