Netflix’s SUMMER HEAT Is Full of Lies and Deceit
By Moveiguide® Contributor
SUMMER HEAT, aka TEMPORADA DE VERAO, is a Brazilian NETFLIX original series. Developed for the screen by Michel Carvalho, Ana Pacheco and Natalia Piserni. It stars numerous talented actors including Jirge Lopez, Giovanna Lancellotti, Felipe Rocha, and Mayana Neiva. The series follows a group of young employees at an island resort off the coast of Brazil as they live through an unforgettable summer and learn to navigate love, loss and friendship, while each harboring a secret.
SUMMER HEAT begins with the arrival of three new summer employees, Helena, Conrado and Yasmin, who join the current staff, Miguel, Marilia and Diego, at an idyllic hotel on an island off the coast of Brazil. On the eve of the hotel’s seasonal opening, a private party is hosted by Rodrigo, the son of one of the hotel’s owners, for his girlfriend Catarina, the wealthy daughter of a businesswoman. After surprising Catarina with a marriage proposal which she accepts, Rodrigo, pressured by his friends, makes out with Helena in a back room. Unbeknownst to him, Catarina witnesses this. Minutes later Catarina’s mother is arrested for money laundering and Catarina’s entire world collapses. After calling off the engagement and finding herself penniless, Catarina, who has a massive shopping addiction, agrees to work as an employee for the hotel. But how long can she go without shopping and with whose money?
Miguel–thinking the police were looking for him, not Catarina’s mother–hides a marijuana brick in Conrado’s guitar case. Will Miguel retrieve the drugs before Conrado finds them? The next morning Conrado’s parents arrive at the hotel for a weeklong stay. However, they do not know that Conrado lied to them about his position at the resort. Will they find out he is pursuing a music career against their wishes?
Yasmin, who has been acting suspiciously ever since she got to the island, confronts Marasia, one of the hotel owners, and declares that she is his daughter. But when he does not respond the way she hopes, she runs off and unintentionally discovers that the hotel is causing the forceful eviction of the island’s native residents. Is her father the one responsible for this? Marilia and Helena are selling drugs and Diego seems to be haunted by his past. What other secrets are the characters hiding? And will these secrets come to light?
SUMMER HEAT has a primarily romantic worldview with slight elements of a humanistic worldview. The series focuses on the self-fulfillment and self-discovery of a group of young adults. Their journey focuses primarily on one’s emotions being the most important element of life. They demonstrate this by attempting to find fulfillment in worldly pleasures such as partying, excessive drinking, drug use, and sex. Other characters value money and wealth above all else and hurt their family, friends and/or the local community for their own personal advancement.
It is important to note that SUMMER HEAT does not portray Christianity in a positive light. Conrado was raised a Christian, however, his parents are portrayed as overbearing and controlling and detest Conrado’s musical pursuits. Conrado lies to his parents about his job on the island and after defying their order for him to return home, Conrado abandons his Christian upbringing and pursues a path of self-discovery that involves drinking, drug use, and the exploration of his sexuality.
SUMMER HEAT contains a couple of mild verbal and physical altercations between friends and/or an ex-couple. While not violent, there are a few scenes in which Rodrigo’s friends are beyond verbally disrespectful to Catarina; Rodrigo is present but does nothing to defend her. Several scenes that might be intense for some viewers including one drowning, two near drownings, and a hallucination, stemming from PTSD, in which a dead body is seen holding a bracelet at the bottom of a pool.
There are several instances of partial nudity including upper male nudity and women in bras. Women are also seen in various styles of swimsuits. Many couples are seen hooking up and making out throughout the series. One of the characters wrestles with feelings of homosexuality and has a dream in which he makes out with his love interest before later kissing him in real life. Each episode contains a large amount of light profanity along with a few uses of stronger profanity. The Lord’s name is also occasionally taken in vain. There is regular partying and excessive drinking. Some characters are also seen buying, selling, and/or using drugs.
All the characters lie to and deceive others around them. One character steals from multiple people to feed her shopping addiction. There are also several dysfunctional family elements. One character tells a man that he is her father; her mother never told him she was pregnant. His wife (whom he met years later) is less than thrilled with this information and runs a DNA test without her husband or his alleged daughter’s consent. One of the hotel employees is a single mother who sells drugs to support her daughter. Another mother is a money launderer and cares more about money and lifestyle than her daughter. One employee’s parents are portrayed as overbearing and controlling. There are also miscellaneous themes of greed and gentrification throughout the show.
While the series contains some questionable elements its production is suburb. The location is beautiful, and the camera work and acting are engaging. However, it should be restated that SUMMER HEAT is a Brazilian series and as such is filmed in Portuguese with the occasional use of Spanish. There is an option to voice dub the series over in English. However, the dubbed translation does not match that of the English subtitles, making it frustrating to watch if you need to use subtitles.
Because SUMMER HEAT contains immorality and worldview problems, Movieguide® finds the series to be excessive.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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