When Eva's car breaks down, she is stranded at a seaside resort, where she meets Liz. Liz and her lesbian friends are having a get-away at the beach, and Eva is the straight, married outsider. And of course, being gay is still a pretty big deal in Venezuela. It starts out as a light-hearted look at friendships, romance, and quick flings. It quickly takes a more serious turn, as one of the ladies in the group has a secret, and doesn't want the others to know. Nothing is easy in life. BEAUTIFUL scenery. Excellent choices of music throughout. There's a confusing part about halfway through the film, which is partially explained towards the end, but they leave a lot to viewer interpretation. I see the original version ran 100 minutes, but the netflix version is only 92. Wonder what was cut out; were there things in the missing eight minutes that would have explained a couple things for us? Mostly a great story. Could easily have been someone's personal experience. Directed by Fina Torres. Written by Torres and Jane Chambers. I tried to go to the "official website", but sadly the link is no longer working.

Rudimentary synopses, wherever one might read them, rather plainly suggest this to be a lesbian romance film. To convey that stark notion is an unfortunate mistake, as a relationship between the main characters is only a small part of the narrative being told. It's not perfect, but 'Liz in September' is a satisfying watch.

A more accurate one-line premise would relate that this movie is about a young woman, traveling by herself, who befriends a group of lesbians after her vehicle breaks down. Perhaps that oversimplifies things, but it provides the essential background of the plot, which in the end loosely examines love, and life and how we live it, among other themes.

'Liz in September' isn't entirely fulfilling. Early voiceovers or internal monologues, and inserted shots of hospitals or medical paraphernalia, may fit with the overall plot yet are ultimately extraneous. They needlessly prevent the viewer, almost at the very start, from becoming invested in the story. The flow of the film does generally improve after this, though this initial frailty is echoed later.

The film seems unsure of who the protagonist should be: stranded sojourner Eva (Eloísa Maturén),or troubled temptress Liz (Patricia Velásquez). At the beginning and end the camera emphasizes the journey (literal and figurative) of Eva, but for much of the intermediate length we see more of Liz, whether or not she's joined by Eva. That sense of uncertainty is echoed in director Fina Torres' adapted screenplay generally, as 'Liz in September' can't quite seem to decide if it wants to be a story about Eva's stay with this group of friends, a lesbian romance, or a more serious dramatic introspection. The movie does touch on all these aspects, but not entirely convincingly in any instance.

Still, it's sufficiently entertaining, and engaging. The cast fills their roles commendably, and star Velásquez in particular excels at making Liz relatable and sympathetic in her fears, uncertainty, and conflicting emotions. The feature tells its story well, if imperfectly; it's gratifying that if nothing else, the last few scenes are certainly done well. The ending, especially, conveys much through its imagery without any need for plainspoken narration or dialogue, and is satisfying to that point. I just wish the rest of the movie had the same unity of vision.

Anyone looking for a light-hearted, frivolous lesbian romance is going to be disappointed, but there's enough content here, broadly, to keep our attention that the misleading suggestion of focused representation can be forgiven. Don't expect a revelation, but 'Liz in September' is worth watching if you come across it.

This is a remake of Jane Chambers' Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, one of the first mainstream lesbian theatrical productions. However, this film takes away some of the plot elements that made the play so strong (coming out, career, etc.) and simply goes for a plot centred on closure and healing for the two protagonists of this film, Liz, one of a group of lesbian friends enjoying a weekend at their beachside hideaway, but with a dark secret (she has terminal cancer),and Eva, whose car breaks down nearby, forcing her to stay with Liz's group of friends (she is, of course, unaware that she is the only heterosexual in the whole place). One of Liz's friends dares her to try to sleep with Eva during the weekend, which forms the basis for everything to come. However, this is when everything starts going off the rails. Eva starts out as a newbie in the group to the care-taker and lover of Liz in the blink of an eye, a transformation that does not seem realistic in the slightest. It also botches its handling of the cancer plot line, which could add a lot to the film. Its veering back-and-forth from serious elements of the film – Eva's recently deceased son, and Liz's cancer – to the lighthearted aspects, like the incessant scheming of the friends to prevent Eva from leaving. The film suffers because of its maladroit handling of its plot, and in my opinion, it never recovers from it. This is not to say that the film does not have positive aspects. The film provides a feast for the eyes. The physical environment of the film is postcard-worthy, and the cast is composed of attractive women, which makes the implausible and frustrating plot a little more tolerable. But I don't think I'd watch this film again if given the opportunity.