Italophilia

I absolutely loved the cinematography of this short series. Each shot was beautiful. It was also unusual in the way the story unfolded. I know some people prefer linear storytelling, but this nonlinear narrative worked for this short series. Xiao Zhi and Chen Li's story unfolded like a blooming flower, with every shared interaction giving sustenance to that flower...until the end of the summer has a fully bloomed flower enveloping them (and us) in a heady scent. The two main actors had wonderful chemistry, and I loved that the story was so focused on them.

The only thing I would change are related to making the texts stand out. When the English text is on the screen (beginning and end of each episode), it's often a light color with a light background, nearly impossible to read. Maybe if I were watching on a 60" screen instead of my laptop, I might have a chance of catching more than a word or two. It would have been better with bigger subtitles too. Other that that, I enjoyed everything else. The music and lighting were perfect. I loved the use of colors and the postcard-like images in the intro and credits.