Salzwasser

A retelling of Turgenev's novella "First Love"

"In the summer of 1963, I fell in love, and my father drowned." Thus begins the story of a summer that ends with everything changed: Like every year, fifteen-year-old Michael spends his vacation with his parents by the Atlantic. But this time, there is a change, as the alluring Mrs. Mertz and her twenty-year-old daughter Zina move into the neighboring guesthouse. The uniqueness and openness that surround the two women captivate not only Michael. He instantly falls in love with the beautiful Zina and finds himself hopelessly at her mercy. However, when he sees his romantic feelings for her betrayed in the cruelest way, the innocent world of his childhood collapses, leading to a tragic end to the summer. In this retelling of Turgenev's novella "First Love," Simmons sensitively and almost a bit wistfully depicts the loss of childhood innocence that accompanies the confusions of first love. The backdrop is painted with the colors and moods of a summer by the sea.