As an historic, record-shattering heat dome pushes hot weather across the UK and Europe, we’re taking inspiration from film on how to keep cool.

When the mercury rises, film characters know exactly what to do. They stretch out on a sun lounger, disappear into a cool bath, host a barbecue, linger over lunch beneath the trees or simply stand in front of an open fridge hoping for a blast of cold air.

Here’s our guide to surviving a heatwave, courtesy of cinema.

1. Stretch out on a sun lounger

Sometimes the best response to hot weather is to stop fighting it altogether.

The languid afternoons of Atonement unfold beside the water on elegant wooden loungers with built-in parasols, while Call Me by Your Name captures the pleasure of drifting between deckchairs, garden furniture, swimming and reading beneath the Italian sun.

Saltburn embraces the same unhurried rhythm, with Felix and friends spending long afternoons stretched out on wicker chairs and loungers in the gardens of Saltburn House.

2. Take a cool bath… or a shower

Cinema has always appreciated the restorative powers of water.

Few contemporary directors have embraced the bathtub quite like Wes Anderson. From Margot Tenenbaum’s famous bath in The Royal Tenenbaums, to the elegant bathing rooms of The Grand Budapest Hotel, the motel bathroom of Asteroid City and, most recently, The Phoenician Scheme, where Benicio del Toro filmed an elaborate single-take bathtub sequence that reportedly took up to eight hours to complete, Anderson returns to bathing as a visual signature and a place for reflection, conversation and cooling off – emotionally and physically.

Barbie features a memorable shower scene, although hers famously comes without any water at all. If you do decide on a shower, we’d recommend doing it at home rather than checking into the Bates Motel in Psycho.

3. Throw a garden party

When the house gets too warm, move the party outside.

Edward Scissorhands celebrates suburban summer with colourful barbecues and neighbours gathering in pastel gardens.

If you don’t happen to own a garden, Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing offers another solution. Pull up a chair on the pavement, add a parasol and wait for someone to open the fire hydrant.

4. Dine al fresco

Meals somehow taste better outdoors.

La Piscine proves that long lunches and evening aperitifs beside the swimming pool are among life’s greatest pleasures.

Jacques Tati’s Mon Oncle uses Villa Arpel’s immaculate garden as an outdoor dining room. Just make sure the chairs are comfortable rather than simply stylish.

5. Cool off at the fridge

We’ve all done it. Opened the fridge door and lingered for a few extra seconds, hoping the cold air might lower the temperature.

Cinema has turned that everyday habit into something rather more memorable. In May December, a glance inside the fridge sparks one of the film’s funniest moments. Accompanied by an absurdly dramatic orchestral score, Gracie (Julianne Moore) quietly panics: “I don’t think we have enough hot dogs.” Todd Haynes transforms an everyday catering concern into high melodrama.

Darren Aronofsky takes the idea to the opposite extreme in Requiem for a Dream. Sara Goldfarb’s refrigerator becomes one of cinema’s most terrifying domestic appliances, growling and lurching towards her as addiction and hunger overwhelm reality. Rather than offering comfort, the fridge becomes a manifestation of obsession and psychological collapse.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown also finds drama in the kitchen, proving that during a heatwave, the refrigerator often becomes the busiest place in the house.

Then there’s the walk-in cold store in The Shining. Wendy Torrance uses it to imprison Jack after knocking him unconscious, proving that refrigerated rooms can solve more than one problem. We’d still recommend sticking to the kitchen fridge.

6. Find a café by the water… or beneath the trees

Not every cooling strategy requires a swimming pool. Sometimes all you need is a shaded table, a cold drink and a leisurely lunch.

Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief offers the perfect Riviera escape. Fleeing the police, retired jewel thief John Robie (Cary Grant) seeks refuge at a waterfront restaurant in Monte Carlo.

Speak No Evil serves up another inviting outdoor dining spot. The Dalton family first meet the charismatic Paddy and Ciara beneath the shade of an alfresco restaurant overlooking the Tuscan countryside, although the scene was actually filmed in the hilltop villages of Istria, Croatia. It looks like the perfect place to escape the heat, even if the holiday ultimately takes a decidedly darker turn.

Whether by the sea or beneath the trees, these films remind us that the coolest seat in summer is often the one in the shade.

7. Wander around the house with your shirt off

Some film costumes simply surrender to the weather.

Oliver and Elio spend much of Call Me by Your Name in shorts, swimwear or very little else, while Felix strolls through Saltburn with similar confidence. When temperatures climb, ditch the dress code.

8. And if all else fails…

When the hot weather won’t quit, head to the supermarket. Or at least somewhere with powerful air conditioning, something we’re still not terribly accustomed to here in the UK.

Films such as Drive and High-Rise remind us that modern buildings can offer a welcome blast of refrigerated air when everything outside feels like an oven.

 

Whether it’s a beautifully designed bathroom, a shaded terrace, a perfectly positioned sun lounger or a long lunch beneath the trees, cinema reminds us that good design has often been shaped by climate.

Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re off in search of a shady terrace, a swimming pool… or failing that, the frozen food aisle.