The febrile exam fervour has begun to recede, and May Week, with all its exciting excesses, is on the horizon. Hence, some more low-key relaxation is surely in order, and while you’re probably going to continue your Mamma Mia! tradition of commentary on how Pierce Brosnan’s non-professional singing is wholesome and endearing, while Dominic Cooper’s is aggravatingly nasal, you could also try out some rarer summer viewing. So here are some less obvious recommendations for movies to indulge in when the exam dread has faded…

1. Betty Blue (1986)

You should be in a relatively positive state of mind for this one, given the themes of passion spiralling into mental disturbance, but the sun-kissed French cinematography and wrought eroticism are deeply memorable. What at first seems sensually light-hearted gradually begins to shade into poignancy and heartbreak, as a romance between Betty (Béatrice Dalle) and Zorg (Jean-Hughes Anglade) turns dark, obsessive, and violent.

2. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Tennessee Williams always bore in mind the old idea that drama and debaucherous behaviour take place in the heat. Obsequious in-laws scheme to gain an inheritance, lies, and delusions abound, copious levels of alcohol are consumed, and Paul Newman (at his most painfully beautiful) refuses to sleep with Elizabeth Taylor (at her most painfully beautiful). It doesn’t get juicier, funnier, or more devastating than this.

3. Aquamarine (2006)

I know it’s heresy to put this after a Tennessee Williams adaptation. Please forgive me. It’s one of those iconic teen girl movies from the 2000s that get more peculiar the more you analyse them through the lens of adulthood, but the nostalgia makes it worth it. Remember how terrifying it was when the starfish earrings spoke to them? Good times. But on a serious note – this movie emphasised that platonic love can be as powerful as romantic, and for that I’ll always appreciate it.

“It’s a touching, visually stunning story of life’s twists and turns”

4. Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964)

Not only did this movie inspire the whole aesthetic, mood and atmosphere of La La Land (2016); it’s also a touching, visually stunning story of life’s twists and turns not accommodating all relationships, no matter how loving. The seaside setting, meanwhile, provides the requisite dose of summeriness.

5. Some Like it Hot (1959)

This movie has a special place in my heart, given that it’s quite possibly the funniest thing ever made. Is it technically set in winter? Yes, but most of it takes place in Florida, and nothing says summer like beaches, horny bellhops, eccentric, geriatric millionaires, and gangland conflict. Jack Lemmon is the movie’s true star (nothing will ever be more amusing than him having a panic attack in a couchette, or dancing the tango with a deadpan expression and a rose between his teeth), but Marilyn Monroe delivers a gloriously ditzy, at times moving performance, showing off her comedic talents and proving that she was a much more gifted actress than the 1950s tabloids gave her credit for.

6. Jean de Florette & Manon des Sources (1986)

These two films are similar to Betty Blue, in that you should definitely be in a happy and well-adjusted state of mind when you watch them. The underlying story, of a hunchbacked man who is bullied and alienated in his rural community and becomes the specific target of Le Papet (a chilling Yves Montand), is devastating. But the whole thing is drenched in the stunning atmosphere of Southern France, to the point where you can practically feel the humidity radiating and the cicadas chirruping through the screen. In other words, immaculate summer visuals and music come together with gut-wrenchingly excellent storytelling and performances.

Happy Summer viewing, whether you’re in the mood for heartbreaking Southern drama or 2000s girlhood.