Patricio Fraile – 'My Eternal Summer'

The film follows fifteen-year-old Fanny and her parents as they retreat to their summer house, embracing familiar routines: reading, swimming, and walking. Beneath the quiet simplicity, an unspoken grief lingers—they know it will be her mother’s last summer. As they try to seize the days they have left together, the family navigates the delicate balance between cherishing the present and confronting the inevitable.

A central part of the musical inspiration for the score comes from the highly cultured bourgeois family’s relationship with music, particularly from the Romantic and Impressionist periods. This includes the mother's love for Schubert's Du bist die Ruh, which holds a significant place in the film’s musical narrative.

The score mirrors the romantic and spiritual qualities of these influences. It focuses on impressions rather than expressions, adding depth to key moments and creating a sense of continuity and connection between the characters and their shared memories.

In line with the film's diegetic universe of classical music—and the mother and daughter’s piano playing at the summerhouse—the music is intentionally stripped down to a few elements. These include two-part pieces or duets for piano (performed by Anna Flodmark) and cello (performed by Joe Zeitlin). 

The score evolves to a more metaphysical level with the ambient string piece Above Ground, which exists in a tight spatial and emotional relationship with Frederik Lehmann’s sound design during a pivotal moment in the film. The piano, and the music more broadly, serves as a symbolic element throughout the film, representing the spiritual and intangible, as well as the profound connection between mother and daughter.

The score release also includes two alternative versions of pieces featured in the film: Through the Window (Ambient Version) and The Diary (Ambient Version). These versions continue to explore the film's themes and emotions while expanding the sonic landscape with found sounds, soundscapes, tape manipulations, melancholic organ tones and casio synths.

Available in Dolby Atmos, and across all major streaming platforms, 'My Eternal Summer' will be released 31st February 2025.