HollyShorts 2026: Celeste in the Summer Review
HollyShorts 2026 will host the world premiere of writer/director Hobby Holmes’ new film, Celeste in the Summer. Holmes’ expertise is in the amalgamation of music and visuals having previously worked extensively with recording artists such as Billie Eilish. This wealth of experience serves him well in Celeste in the Summer where a haunting musical score is expertly spliced with a rich visual palette which is truly stunning.
At its heart, Celeste in the Summer is set during one idyllic summer day that seems endless and flawless. Perhaps a once in a lifetime sort of day, once experienced is never forgotten – and there’s the hook.
Celeste (Alice McMillan) and Michael (Freddy Carter) are a couple, very much in love, enjoying this particular day in a tranquil country setting, with an al fresco meal with friends in the evening. But as the day continues, there seems to be something that’s not quite right. There’s something happening with Celeste’s memory.
Holmes shows a great deal of restraint with his dialogue, depending instead on his skills with carefully executed imagery and a gentle score, both of which are combined to depict a world which is to begin with, perfect, but gradually begins to show some irregularities. Things are not as they seem. This is after all, a sci-fi romance.
But having said that, Holmes deftly sidesteps the obvious cliché of robotics and goes in an entirely different direction as the nature of the world around us is brought into question. And of course, science fiction has taught us that questioning perfection will cause that perfection to unravel, exposing imperfection and an unpleasant truth. Harsh reality is the killer of a perfect idyll.
It’s a lesson well delivered by Holmes.
Rob Rating = 7