Directed by Charlie McDowell and written by Robert Jones, based on the book of the same name by Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomin series. Sophia, an eight-year-old girl who is growing up fast, her grandmother who is nearing the end of her life and her father are all coming to terms with the death of Sophia’s mother while spending the summer on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland. Starring: Glenn Close, Anders Danielsen Lie, Emily Matthews, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Pekka Strang and Sophia Heikkilä.
It’s a pretty reliable choice for a moving drama to explore the special relationship between a child and their grandparent. There’s always plenty of love, care and playfulness to draw from, and it’s something that only deepens when it involves a loss in the family. So, it’s fertile waters that Charlie McDowell and Robert Jones wade into with The Summer Book. That potential for something meaningful and touching is certainly there but it feels like the filmmakers couldn’t do justice to Tove Jansson’s work.
Unfortunately, the weaknesses of the film appear very quickly, there’s an almost unfinished quality to The Summer Book. It’s as if we’ve entered an early cut which is still missing a few scenes and we’re getting some lacklustre editing to compensate. Going for something quiet and simple is an admirable choice but there’s too much of both. It has a tendency to purely drift rather than follow a clear path. While it doesn’t feel like much is going unsaid, there also just isn’t a great deal to say, leaving it a little sluggish and bare-bones.
Typically, when you have a setting as picturesque as the Gulf of Finland, the cinematography and natural landscapes can make up for those shortfalls but here it doesn’t. The palette leans so much into the nostalgic style, that it’s hindering the power of its images. We should be getting an absolutely stunning backdrop, which you could happily watch for hours and yet, it’s sadly fairly average. The location is still beautiful, but the direction and cinematography aren’t making the most of it. It’s a shame when while the film ticks the emotional box, it’s missing a depth which could have been aided by a more enthralling aesthetic.
While its visual and writing feel like they have a fair number of issues, the casting certainly was on fine form. This is perhaps one of the most toned down roles in recent years for Glenn Close, she’s been on a tear of interesting personas recently so it’s nice to see her do something slower and wistful. She captures that wise and witty personality so well, the sort of grandmother anyone would be lucky to have.
Anders Danielsen Lie is similarly a reliable choice, he’s fantastic at capturing difficult emotions, it’s just a shame it doesn’t feel like The Summer Book gives him much to do. With so much focus on the relationship between Sophia (Emily Matthews) and her grandmother, there’s only limited moments for him to bring his talents to the table. Whereas Matthews is front and centre, she’s sweet and curious, exactly what you could want from a tween leading character. It’s all very wholesome but there are also a couple of good bits of humour in there, it would have been enjoyable to see them lean into that further to bring a bigger personality to the film as a whole.
The Summer Book is sweet, gentle and supremely wholesome but also rather forgettable. While the core trio of Close, Lie and Matthews make for a wonderful little family, there’s not much going on here. There’s value in that relationship between Sophia and her grandmother but it’s only scratching the surface, there was plenty of time to dig deeper and have a bit more adventure. With the writing and progression falling short, it’s a shame the visual isn’t stronger to pick up some of the slack.
FilmCarnage.com 