It is always curious to me when a film seems to sum up its central theme in a line a character directly says: what’s more important, security or freedom of choice? In Glorious Summer‘s case, this works, and ponders this question as it follows three young women who live in an idyllic home, separated from the outside world by a tall wall. When their circumstances change and pent up anger begins to boil, they begin to wonder if it is worth it to leave the home they know for something new, but also unknown beyond the walls of the only world they have ever known. The film overall remains quite elusive with respect to the world outside the one the girls know, not telling us much about their world but simply placing us in their shoes. Simply put, what they know, we know. But with the context we have to our own world, we see a question reflected in their experiences on screen, that asks us how we would choose between security and freedom.

Three young women live within a home surrounded by a high wall, with no idea what lives beyond how far they can see. Awaiting the glorious summer celebration, the women respond to a mysterious voice, who gives them morning meditation rituals, language lessons, and games to play. It asks them what has made their day positive, and what will make their next day more glorious. Two of the women begin to question why they are there, and what the world is like outside of their walls. When a story from their glorious summer scriptures describes being taken away from the home, their intentions shift, and they must decide if it is worth it, to all three of them, to leave behind the security of their home for a new freedom around an unknown world.

The major aspect of this film that immediately stood out to me and worked so well to keep me intrigued throughout was the idea that we know only as much as the women do, even sometimes less. We watch them behind these walls, with no idea why they are there or why they stay. As the film goes on, we get very small glimpses, but the overall background leave a lot to be desired. But unlike many stories like this told before, the information left to be desired really enhances the viewing experience. It kept me on the edge of my seat, even though the film throughout can be seen as a bit monotonous. It knows exactly when to cut each scene, to keep you from knowing too much, while still knowing just enough to keep you wanting more.

Further, the women in the film do an excellent job at portraying three very distinct outlooks on the situation they find themselves in. The rebellious one, the naive one, and the one stuck in the middle. It allows us watching to see ourselves in one or all three of the women, rooting for them through the reflection in them we see in ourselves. Further, these three distinct characters further work to build the tension we as viewers feel as the women begin to question why they are there, causing inner conflict in their small community of just three people.

The film overall reminded me of a great novel I read recently, titles I Who Have Never Known Men. Similarly, the novel follows a group of women who are trapped in a bunker, with no idea how they got their or why they must remain there. As the novel progresses, the women are able to escape, and must explore the world around them to understand more about their pasts. Like this novel, Glorious Summer uses the information we don’t know to keep us seated, but dissimilarly, it approaches the women’s confinement not as something they must escape, but something that provides them with security.

Then, we come to the central question of the film, what would you choose, security and safety within confinement, or uncertainty and freedom. We get glimpses of why the women are where they are. A project that allowed people to live completely sufficiently with security and freedom, with the caveat that they must remain within the border surrounding their home and land. To some, this sounds idyllic, but to others, it is just another word for a prison. In the film’s ability to withhold just enough information, a “correct” answer is never presented, but rather different possibilities for how life could look based on one’s own outlook on the situation.

This adds to the overall commentary the film has to say regarding the state of the world today. Whether it is protecting one’s own land, or manmade borders that can restrict flow of people and goods, while also providing security for those inside based on what flag the country flies. How we can find safety in what we know, but never know how much we are truly missing out on if we never leave the bubble from which we find out safety within. Whether this is a job, a system like education, or a country we were born in, how do we justify staying or leaving, when the choice is between security and freedom? What do we each prioritize, and how do our priorities change when we begin to think about who put up the barriers and walls surrounding our lives in the first place.

Glorious Summer leaves a lot to be desired with regards to answering the many central questions surrounding its plot, but that’s what makes it all the more enjoyable. This melancholic, slower paced film will surprisingly have you gripped with intrigue throughout, refusing to answer questions you so desperately want the answer to, while also providing you with new questions throughout about where your priorities lie, and the walls you and the world have placed around your life in order to find safety and security. This leaves us to wonder, what would I choose: security within confinement or uncertainty along with freedom.

Glorious Summer was screened at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival. Image courtesy of ROZBRAT FILMS.