『The Last Season, When Life and Love Intertwined』
🎥 Movie Overview
🎬 Title: Liz in September (2014)
🌍 Country: 🇻🇪 Venezuela
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Romance / Queer
⏳ Runtime: 92 min
📢 Director: Fina Torres
🖋️ Screenplay: Fina Torres, Susana Torres
📖 Based on: Jane Chambers’ play – Last Summer at Bluefish Cove
👩💼 Cast: Patricia Velásquez – as Liz
Eloísa Maturén – as Eva
Mimí Lazo – as Margot
🧩 Deep Dive into the Story (Spoilers)
🎂 A Caribbean Resort
Every September, the free-spirited and magnetic Liz celebrates her birthday at a friend’s resort on a Caribbean island, surrounded by her longtime lesbian friends. This year, however, Liz hides the fact that her terminal cancer has returned. Rather than being remembered for her suffering, she wishes to be remembered for her strength and freedom.
🌊 A Stranger Arriving with Scars
Eva, grieving her husband’s infidelity and the loss of her son to cancer, stumbles upon the resort when her car breaks down. Liz, in jest, bets with her friends that she can seduce Eva within three days. What begins as a lighthearted challenge turns into something deeper, as Eva’s grief and Liz’s fear of death intersect, giving rise to genuine emotions.
🦋 Emotional Resonance and Meaning
🌅 The Last Struggle of a Free Spirit: Liz’s ‘September’
Liz embodies freedom, never hiding her identity or her way of life. She rides motorcycles, dives into the sea, and approaches love without hesitation. By concealing her impending death from her friends, she refuses pity, showing her pride and her determination to face "even death on her own terms." The setting of September—her birthday month—becomes a metaphor, symbolizing both celebration and the limited time left for her. Her story poses not only the question of “how to live” but also “how to face death and what legacy to leave behind.”
🌴 A Narrative of Loss and Healing: Eva’s Transformation
Eva is burdened by grief, guilt, and a fragile marriage after losing her son. Liz becomes a spark of possibility—an emotional sanctuary. When Eva learns that Liz suffers from the same illness that claimed her son’s life, she begins to see her own choices in a new light. Her guilt over having forced medical treatments on her child transforms into understanding and empathy for Liz’s decision to pursue a dignified death. Through Liz, Eva finds peace and begins to walk the path toward new life and love.
🌞 The Power of Female Solidarity
One of the most compelling aspects of the film is the community of lesbian friends around Liz. They are lovers, ex-lovers, and chosen family, fighting fiercely yet embracing each other with warmth. Their bonds transcend traditional family structures, embodying the concept of a Chosen Family. Until the very end, their solidarity and love provide Liz with unwavering strength, highlighting the power of women’s solidarity.
🎬 Direction and Mise-en-Scène
The film unfolds against the backdrop of the beautiful Caribbean coast of Venezuela. The dazzling sunshine and turquoise sea reflect Liz’s vitality, yet they contrast starkly with her inevitable decline, evoking a profound melancholy.
Diving serves as a crucial motif. Underwater, Liz appears most free and at peace. The sea symbolizes the boundary between life and death, and purification. The scene in which Liz and Eva dive together becomes a powerful visual metaphor for their shared grief and spiritual connection.
🌺 The Trace of Love, Thereafter
Liz in September is not only a poignant portrayal of a free-spirited lesbian’s life and love but also a profound meditation on the courage to love life fully and embrace death with dignity. While it may have certain narrative flaws, its memorable characters, stunning mise-en-scène, and the warm message of female solidarity secure its place as a significant work in queer cinema.
🎯 Personal Rating
💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥
⭐ Overall Rating: ★★★★★
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