The Summer with Carmen plays like a comedy version of Alain Guiraudie’s 2013 cruising drama Stranger by the Lake, with a dash of early, scrappier Almodóvar.

For something as frothy and seemingly frivolous as it is, the film also delivers crisply observed characters and fully lived-in relationships.

It's easy on the eyes in more ways than one, and while there's fun to be had with the meta conceit, it's not a taxing intellectual exercise.

Underneath The Summer With Carmen’s gorgeous cinematography, is a thoughtful exploration of change and growth wrapped up in a meta-narrative that injects the story with life.