LE RAYON VERT: SUMMER WITH DELPHINE

A heartfelt ode to Le Rayon Vert. Exploring a delicate portrayal of female solitude, self-discovery, and the quiet beauty of waiting for fate to unfold.

Eric Rohmer, director of Le Rayon Vert (The Green Ray)  adores women. His understanding of and respect for the female sensibility is clearly obvious in this film as well as the others in this series. As one of my absolute favorites, I hope my review will encourage you to watch this delightful movie. 

At several points in my life, I felt so closely related to the main character Delphine that I adopted her as my alter ego. Baristas in Brooklyn as well as take-out venues only know me as Delphine. Played by Maria Riviere, I was delighted but not surprised to find out that the actress was born exactly one day before me and one year after me. We are both archetypal Capricorns, stubborn and often alone. 

Rohmer takes us on a colorful, beautifully styled journey with Delphine as she comes to terms with the loss of her boyfriend Jean Pierre who has ended their relationship. After two years she is still alone and has not totally accepted that the relationship is over. Adding to her feelings of abandonment and loneliness, her summer vacation falls through as her traveling companion decides to ditch Delphine for a new romantic interest. 

Throughout the film, the director helps us keep track of the passing of summer by interjecting simple scripted graphics of the dates spanning from July through August.

While Delphine’s sister invites her to come to Ireland with her family for a camping holiday, Delphine turns down the offer as she has her heart set on spending her vacation in a hot country where she could enjoy the sun and the sea. ​

After some crying and coaxing at a highly relatable girls' get-together set in a residential Parisian garden, Delphine’s best friend tries to convince her to go to Cherbourg with her and her family. Completely focused on Delphine’s dilemma, they all try to help her each in their own way. The tough love analyzer has some boundary issues as she tries to delve into Delphine’s childhood in an attempt to figure out the roots of Delphine’s loneliness.  The silent listener leans more toward the spiritual and her gentle, loving best friend soothes her tears with physical and verbal expressions of love, comfort, and encouragement.  Hopefully, we all have at least one BFF with these qualities. I have three, Shelley, Sue Bee, and Stuie. 

Delphine decides to go to Cherbourg with her best friend and her family and that’s where we get a better understanding of our heroine’s true essence. 

Sensitive, quirky, and eccentric, Delphine is her own person. She knows who she is and lives according to her own value system and beliefs. Delphine is a masterpiece. I love her!!!

As the family and Delphine sit down for dinner in the crispy sea air our heroine refuses pork chops and explains passionately that she never eats meat on ethical grounds. Delphine prefers foods that are light and airy. Let’s remember, that in 1986, vegetarianism was not as prevalent as it is today. When offered edible flowers to adorn her salad, Delphine finds that an ethical faux pas as well.  Rohmer’s styling of this scene is picturesque as every detail is masterfully crafted. The sweaters are patinated to perfection in shades of blues and greens. The mid-tone turquoise accentuates Delphine’s intensely beautiful blue eyes. The next day Delphine finds herself alone as she declines the family’s invitation to go sailing because she suffers from seasickness. She also reveals that swings make her nauseous.

When Delphine’s BFF and her boyfriend go back to Paris, Delphine leaves with them and her vacation mission continues as she has 2 weeks left before returning to work. 

At one point she calls her old boyfriend who gives her the OK to stay in his place in the mountains. Jeanne Pierre’s friend greets Delphine with a warm kiss and tells her to come back in an hour to pick up the keys. Within the hour  Delphine decides to get back on the bus and head back to Paris.  The friend who is a little confused waves goodbye. Another person might have been embarrassed, but not Delphine.

Her trip to Biarritz is also full of angst. Delphine swims by herself in the hot sun and her loneliness is only compounded by the group shots of families and friends enjoying their time together. The shots of her smiling and trying to enjoy the waves are actually painful to watch as we know the truth.  

On a rainy day, she takes a walk along the shore and the cliffs. Appearing despondent there is a point when she looks out into the sea and you get the feeling that she thinks about ending it all. However, our Delphine continues on as she overhears a group of older intellectual type tourists admiring the book The Green Ray by Jules Verne. They discuss the fact that this is the only one of Verne’s books that is a romance and they express their common admiration for the main protagonist, a fairy-like figure.  The conversation then reveals the astrophysical phenomenon of the green ray as well as its highly spiritual meaning,  The green ray is the last ray of light visible to the human eye as the sunset sets below the horizon.  It is a rare occurrence and only seen when the atmosphere is perfectly clear. The substance of the conversation was fascinating on its own, however the color green piques Delphine’s interest as she was told by a spiritualist that this year green would be her color.

That day she meets a Swedish woman who unlike Delphine adores traveling alone, her new friend encourages her to be more open and spontaneous with men. When they meet two seemingly sweet guys, Delphine is uncomfortable with her new friend's style of flirtation and just takes off in tears. This time she packs her bags for good and heads back to Paris.

Finally, some good news. As Delphine reads her Dostoyevsky novel (The Idiot) in the train station she catches the eye of a young man. They start talking and Delphine opens up like an umbrella. Inhibitions gone, they decide to spend the day together into the evening. They watch the sunset and you can guess the rest.

This poetic journey in search of love and companionship is a trip I never tire of taking. I have watched this film over 20 times, Enjoy.​▮