Richard Gray's 'Summer Coda'
This is a bittersweet romantic comedy/drama set in Australia about an American girl named Heidi (played beautifully by Australian actress Rachael Taylor) hitchhiking through anywhere Australia, seemingly directionless with only a small suitcase and her violin. Lost after her father's death and her meeting with his new family, she is torn between returning home to America or starting a new life in Australia, as her father had done. During her journey, she meets Michael (Alex Dimitriades) and they form a friendship while both grieving for their lost loved ones (Heidi for her father and Michael for his late wife).
They start as friends picking oranges together in his orange groves and love blooms amidst grand sunsets and orange harvesting... Its a unique film debut by Australian director Richard Gray that reminds one of Bertolucci's 'Stealing Beauty', a lyrical and sanguine love story in full citrus blossom, so well filmed you can practically smell the oranges as they're being picked. Gray admitted that while the budget for his debut was above $5m, it was filmed for not even 1/4th that and the entire cast and crew worked ceaselessly off passion and during their holidays to make this citrus sweet love story. So, what is Summer Coda? Watch and find out :-)
Huge congrats to Richard Gray and cast on 'Summer Coda'.
written by, Vanessa McMahon Jan 19, 2011
read more about the film here: http://www.summercoda.com/about/synopsis