Three Summers

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Three Summers

2020

1h 33m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Over a trio of summers, a caretaker for luxury condominiums (Regina Casé) relies on her resourcefulness and her eye for opportunity to take advantage of whatever comes her way, in Sandra Kogut’s (Campo Grande) humorous and inventive episodic feature. Showcasing the rare talents of Brazilian acting legend Regina Casé -- star of The Second Mother and TIFF ’00 selection Me You Them -- the latest feature from director Sandra Kogut (Campo Grande, TIFF ’15) is a brilliant comedy about gross class disparity and the infinite resourcefulness of those who can never take anything for granted. Casé plays Madá, the fifty-something caretaker for a cluster of luxury beachside condos owned by a wealthy Rio de Janeiro family. Unfolding over the course of three consecutive summers -- 2015 to 2017 -- the film follows Madá as she invests in a roadside snack kiosk while tending to the every need of her condescending employers, becomes a bystander in a major money-laundering scandal, and eventually launches a whole new career. With every dizzying new turn of events, Madá manages to retain her high spirits, her sense of loyalty to those who deserve it -- and her eagle eye for opportunity.

David Stratton

The Australian

07/03/2021

3.5/5

The first section is excellent, with the celebrations confidently staged by co-writer and director Sandra Kogut. The 2016 episode is intriguing for the rapidity with which the very rich from Part One have fallen from grace...

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Mark Keizer

Variety

09/07/2019

A flabby and barely involving screenplay... misses too many opportunities to resonate in a meaningful way with the working class.

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Jordan Mintzer

The Hollywood Reporter

09/07/2019

Kogut, who co-wrote the script with Iana Cossoy, displays a keen eye for satirizing Brazil's rigid class structures and how people like Madá try to find their own piece of the pie within them.

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Pere Vall

Fotogramas

10/18/2021

3/5

The story prefers to celebrate Madá's tenderness and illusion. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Carlos Marañón

Cinemanía (Spain)

08/02/2021

3.5/5

A new tribute to a generation of women who have taken care of other people's homes at the cost of sacrificing their own. [Full review in Spanish]

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Sarah Ward

Concrete Playground

07/09/2021

An involving character study of a woman continually placed at the mercy of others, and just as constantly battling to retain what control she can over her own destiny.

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Rosana B

@RosanaBotafogo 03/08/2025

Como pessoa, dizem ser desprezível, mas se tem uma coisa que Regina Casé nasceu para fazer foi personagem de secretaria do lar, como uma luva, natural, divertida, cativante e com aquela cara de sofrida… O ritmo é lento, apenas, do dia-a-dia de uma família rica administrada pela caseira, introdução longa… Baseado em fatos cotidianos, as coisas somente acontecem, quando a justiça funciona, os patrões são presos, e os funcionários ficam a Deus-dará… Riquíssimos em detalhes, adorável…

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Daniel G

@DanielGodoy 04/29/2023

Regina Casé always raises almost any movie to a higher level. Excellent slice of life in 3 chapters about housekeepers caught up in their ultra-rich employers' imprisonment for corruption. Great rhythm to the story - which at times seemed longer than 1h30min, but never was boring. Several protagonists got to shine, lots of worthwhile reflections on modern life, including prejudice and social media. One thing is for sure: the Brazilian "Upstairs, Downstairs" gang is very perceptive. Never consider someone less ignorant than yourself.

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Sandra Kogut

Director

Regina Casé

Madá

Otávio Muller

Edgar

Gisele Fróes

Marta

Rogério Fróes

Lira

Jéssica Ellen

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Synopsis

Over a trio of summers, a caretaker for luxury condominiums (Regina Casé) relies on her resourcefulness and her eye for opportunity to take advantage of whatever comes her way, in Sandra Kogut’s (Campo Grande) humorous and inventive episodic feature. Showcasing the rare talents of Brazilian acting legend Regina Casé -- star of The Second Mother and TIFF ’00 selection Me You Them -- the latest feature from director Sandra Kogut (Campo Grande, TIFF ’15) is a brilliant comedy about gross class disparity and the infinite resourcefulness of those who can never take anything for granted. Casé plays Madá, the fifty-something caretaker for a cluster of luxury beachside condos owned by a wealthy Rio de Janeiro family. Unfolding over the course of three consecutive summers -- 2015 to 2017 -- the film follows Madá as she invests in a roadside snack kiosk while tending to the every need of her condescending employers, becomes a bystander in a major money-laundering scandal, and eventually launches a whole new career. With every dizzying new turn of events, Madá manages to retain her high spirits, her sense of loyalty to those who deserve it -- and her eagle eye for opportunity.

Director: Sandra Kogut
Producer: Carlos Diegues, Laurent Lavolé, Marcello Ludwig Maia
Screenwriter: Iana Cossoy Paro, Sandra Kogut
Distributor: Distrib Films
Production Co: Gloria Films Production, Vitrine Filmes, República Pureza Filmes
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 27, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 25, 2021
Runtime: 1h 33m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1), HDTV