A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Summer Book” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival).
I don’t know. You wait years for a gentle drama set in a Finnish Summer House and then two turn up at once! Hot on the heels of the excellent “My Eternal Summer” comes Glenn Close starring in “The Summer Book”.
This had its world premiere this afternoon in London, about the same time as I saw the press screening.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“The Summer Book” Plot Summary:
Following the death of her mother, a young girl Sophia (Emily Matthews) spends the summer on a small island in Finland together with her grieving father (Anders Danielsen Lie) and her Grandma (Glenn Close).
Certification:
UK: PG; US: NR. (From the BBFC web site: “Mild bad language, upsetting scenes, threat”.)
Talent:
Starring: Glenn Close, Anders Danielsen Lie, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Pekka Strang, Sophia Heikkilä, Emily Matthews.
Directed by: Charlie McDowell.
Written by: Robert Jones. (Based on a book by Tove Jansson.)
Running Time: 1h 30m.
“The Summer Book” Summary:
Positives:
- Gentle reflections on life and mortality set among beautiful surroundings.
- An excellent performance, as ever, by Glenn Close.
- Nice music.
Negatives:
- Very little actually happens!
Review of “The Summer Book”:
A lovely setting.
We are in the Gulf of Finland in a much more bleak and remote area than that of “My Eternal Summer“. But it is still very beautiful and well-shot by cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen.
Delicate story-telling.
Sophia’s back-story is delicately told. As the father enters the summer house he spies his wife’s old summer-hat, still on the hook where she last left it. “I’ll sort that” says the Grandma, taking it and hiding it away in a cupboard.
And the whole film is like that, gently peeling apart the layers of the emotional onion that is Sophia and the father’s strained relationship. Grandma is the oil on the wheels of recovery, with her gentle guidance and wise words. As the boatman Erikkson (Ingvar Sigurdsson) bypasses the island, the Dad comments that the “The stink of grief keeps him away”. “Or self-pity” retorts Grandma. “I’m trying” says the Dad. “Not hard enough” she replies. Tough love, but it seems to be one of the few times they recognise the elephant in the room.
But very little happens.
At one point, during a boat trip, Sophia quietly rages that she is bored and asks God to “Please make anything happen”. Curiously, I was thinking the same thing! Because this is a very (very) gentle tale that carries us through to a melancholy (and sadly rather predicatable) ending. It reminded me strongly, for some reason of the Kathryn Hepburn and Henry Fonda ‘oldie but goodie’ Oscar-winner “On Golden Pond”.
Glenn close is an old stalwart of the screen.
Glenn Close is now 77 years old so it’s great that she is still acting in roles. As you might expect for the 8 times Oscar nominee (but sadly never a winner), she delivers a splendid performance in this. It’s subtle and beautifully done. She even has to take a dip in the ocean at one point which must have been friggin’ cold even in the middle of summer. How she controlled the urge to scream “F*** Me, it’s ffff***ing fffffreezing” is beyond me!
With such a strong year of film, this might not be another Oscar nomination for her. But she feels like she could be a good candidate for an ‘honorary Oscar’ given her remarkable track record.
I’m not sure she knows everything about everything though… I’m sure that the stated old wives tale that a worm cut in half will grow into two worms is (normally) untrue!
Nice music.
There’s nice ‘tinkly’ music from Hania Rani which suits the film perfectly.
Summary Thoughts on “The Summer Book”.
It’s a perfectly pleasant watch. But it’s not a hugely exciting watch. If you loved reading the book, I guess you will also enjoy the film.
It should be released in UK cinemas early next year.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “The Summer Book”:
At the time of writing, there is no trailer yet available for the film.
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