Review: 500 Days of Summer

            500 Days of Summer is a modern romantic dramedy directed by Marc Webb. Our two main characters in the film, a love struck, romantic young man named Tom and the quirky, adventurous Summer. The film follows Tom who is falling deeper and deeper in love with Summer, all the while she reminds him that she is not looking for a serious relationship. We see their entire relationship through the point of view of Tom, his ups and downs and ultimately, the relationship’s demise. As Tom looks back on their entire relationship he realizes he was only seeing the good times and not the bad times they had and comes to the conclusion that his views about love and relationships were totally askew and unrealistic. In the end Summer points out that she was always ready for love, just not with Tom, he then meets a wonderful girl who says “he probably didn’t see her” signifying that while Tom was looking for love, he just wasn’t looking in the right place.

            I really like that the film does not go in chronological order, it flows with the quirkiness of the characters and the crazy in love sensation that’s being illustrated.

The audience is seeing Tom’s emotions as he is feeling them; the bouncing around from day to day portraying those whimsical, sparkling, lovey feelings. The film also mirrors Tom’s emotions with the lighting, in the beginning Tom is smitten and enchanted with Summer, and the lighting is bright and cheery. Consequently though, as things start going sour in the relationship, the lighting becomes darker and gloomier falling in line with Tom’s state of depression; the darkness and depression consumes him, like the morose lighting fills the screen. Tom gets wrapped up in his own feelings of bliss that he doesn’t even notice that Summer is unhappy and unfulfilled in their relationship. The use of the Kuleshov Effect portrays Tom’s crazy, irrational love sick phases, skipping from one shot to another, trying to make sense of their entire relationship.

            The theme in 500 Days of Summer is Man vs. Himself. It is a coming of age film that follows a boy in puppy love who ends up growing into a wiser man through a failed relationship.  Tom finds out that while the love of another person is warming, it will not complete you like the love you have for yourself as well as a great love that is reciprocated.