The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Starring Jude Law, Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow, The Talented Mr Ripley is an American psychological thriller written and directed by Anthony Minghella. The film is an adaption of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel of the same name and was a critical and commercial success, receiving five Academy awards. The plot is centred around Tom (Damon) who travels to Italy in the hope to convince a rich man’s son, Dickie (Law), to return to the U.S. Set in the 1950s, the film follows the characters on a luxurious yet unexpectedly tragic Italian adventure, with Dickie’s girlfriend, played by Paltrow, showcasing a spectacular summer wardrobe on the beaches of Lazio and the streets of Rome.
Purple Noon (Plein Soleil) (1960)
Before The Talented Mr. Ripley, there was Purple Noon. René Clément’s sleek, sun-drenched French adaptation of the same Patricia Highsmith novel stars a devastatingly handsome Alain Delon as the original Tom Ripley. Set against the backdrop of coastal Italy, it’s all linen shirts, boat shoes, and quiet menace— like a postcard with blood on the edges.
The Swimming Pool (La Piscine) (1969)
I couldn’t help but put another Alain Delon classic on the list. This time, he’s lounging poolside with real-life partner Romy Schneider and a young Jane Birkin (the style icon’s first film as a leading character, speaking French as well!) in this sultry psychological drama set primarily in a villa in the South of France. The tension simmers under the surface, and the visuals steal the show: Courrèges-designed ultra-mini dresses, sweaty tans, and chic, chain-smoking ennui— a slow burn of elegance and jealousy simmering in the thick, inescapable chaleur.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again turns up the volume on everything that made the original a summer classic— ABBA, romance, and chaotic family reunions on a Greek island. This time we get young Donna’s story as she backpacks through Europe, told through boat rides, flings and those peak 70s bellbottom jeans. It’s shamelessly fun, irresistibly feel-good, and soaked in perfect summer energy.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
This coming-of-age romantic drama directed by Luca Guadagino tells the love story of 17- year-old Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer), who spends the summer working as an intern for Elio’s father in their 17th century villa. Set in 1983 northern Italy, the film sees the pair riding bikes through beautiful countryside and small-town piazzas, taking picnics on the riverbank, and wild swimming under the summer sun.
Roman Holiday (1953)
This warm-hearted classic follows a runaway princess in Audrey Hepburn’s breakout Hollywood role and a jaded American reporter (Gregory Peck), with those transatlantic accents that I’m petitioning to bring back to the silver screen. They zip through Rome on a Vespa, falling into a whirlwind day of freedom, flirtation, and gelato-fueled escapism. From Hepburn’s gamine pixie cut to her crisp white blouse and circle skirt, it’s a picture-perfect tour of Roman landmarks— and a reminder of those summer days when you meet someone, just once, and never quite forget them.
Before Sunrise (1995)/ Before Sunset (2004)/ Before Midnight (2013)
When American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) meets French Celine (Julie Delpy) on a train travelling through Europe, they decide to disembark together in Vienna, where they spend the night walking around the city and fall in love. Jesse returns to the U.S. the following day, and the pair don’t cross paths again until nine years later in Paris – the setting of the second film Before Sunset. The final film in the trilogy, Before Midnight, sees a further nine years having passed, when the now-married couple spend a summer in Greece.
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Based on Frances Mayes’ 1996 memoir of the same name, this American romantic comedy-drama starring Diane Lane is centred around a recently divorced writer who buys a villa in Tuscany in the hope that it will lead to a dramatic change in her life. As Frances (Lane) renovates her new house, she makes the most of Italy on her doorstep, visiting beauty spots such as the Amalfi Coast and Positano, which are wistfully portrayed in the film.
Blue Crush (2002)
This seminal film is led by actor Kate Bosworth portraying fictional female surfer Anne Marie Chadwick who’s in training for the upcoming Pipe Masters surf competition. Living beachside in Hawaii with her two friends and sister, Anne Marie’s life takes a turn when they agree to teach a group of footballers to surf and she becomes romantically involved with pro quarterback Matt – a distraction that friend Eden, played by Michelle Rodriguez, doesn’t take lightly.
Conte D’été / A Summer’s Tale by Eric Rohmer (1996)
Eric Rohmer’s summer installment of The Tale of Four Seasons series, Conte D’été is a gentle, sun-dappled meander of fleeting crushes and lazy afternoons. Set on the breezy coast of Brittany, it follows Gaspard, a floppy-haired philosophy student (a 90s, French version of Elio, if you will), drifting between three women, a guitar, and his own indecision. Languid with the art of conversation at its focus, it captures perfectly the rhythms of a summer that feels slow while it’s happening, then slips away before you realise it. If you like this film, Rohmer also has plenty more that channel the same summer energy— Pauline At The Beach and The Green Ray are perfect places to start.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
“ It was the last day of school in 1976, a time they’d never forget… if only they could remember.”
Even for a city girl like me, watching this cult classic made me want to live in ‘70s suburban America— drive a teal-blue pickup truck and float between kickbacks under a beer-soaked sky. Don’t we all remember high school and the promise of freedom? We tail a revolving door of seniors and freshmen through hazing rituals, blunt rotations, and back-seat philosophising about Aerosmith tickets and the meaning of life. You’ll find a mustachioed Matthew McConaughey, a young Parker Posey as the queen bee, and Milla Jovovich drifting by like a stoner-rock fever dream. Wonderfully aimless, it’s an ode to youth in limbo, where every night feels like the start of something unforgettable.
Only Yesterday (1991)
One of the most tender and grown-up Studio Ghibli films, Only Yesterday follows 27-year-old Taeko as she escapes Tokyo for the countryside and slips into memories of her childhood years. It’s achingly nostalgic—the kind of film that captures the unspoken sadness at the end of every summer, when the light starts to shift and you realise growing up means letting some things stay in the past. The animation glows with warmth, the silences linger, and the feeling sticks with you like a memory you didn’t know you still had, simultaneously feeling ten and thirty.
The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants (2005)
Four best friends, one pair of magic jeans, and a summer that flings them everywhere from a Mamma Mia dream in Santorini to soccer camp in the suburbs. The cast is stacked with 2000s icons like Blake Lively pre-Gossip Girl and Alexis Bledel at peak Gilmore. Between golden-hour backdrops, first heartbreaks, and letters stuffed in battered envelopes, it nails the fizzy promise of your first grown-up summer—and the joy of knowing your friends are out there living big, sun-soaked lives right alongside you.
A Room with A View (1985)
Watching this feels like reading a perfect novel on a warm day in a quiet field— leisurely, romantic, and just a little rebellious. A 19-year-old Helena Bonham Carter plays Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman whose taste of freedom in Florence begins to unsettle the carefully arranged life waiting for her back home. She trades chaperoned tours for lingering glances across courtyards with Mr. Emerson (Julian Sands) while Cecil (Daniel Day-Lewis) broods in a too-tight cravat back in Surrey. Shot in golden Italian light, framed by honey-hued Florentine architecture and soft English greens, this Edwardian classic illustrates the stirring thrill of stepping out of what’s proper and into what actually makes you feel alive.
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
Bold, raw, and unfiltered, Y Tu Mamá También is a risqué coming-of-age story that captures the messy blur of youth with startling clarity. Two teenage boys and an older woman set off on an impromptu road trip across Mexico chasing a made-up beach called Boca del Ciel (the Mouth of Heaven), but the real detours are emotional— jealousy, politics, and the fragile egos of youth. Alfonso Cuarón’s direction is intimate and restless, with voiceovers and sudden moments of stillness that hit harder than expected. It’s a film about the heat, thrill, and confusion of a summer where everything changes.
Editor
Vogue Hong KongCredit
Lead image: by Slim Aarons/Getty Images
