The Summer Book Movie Review

This movie is an adaptation of Tove Jansson’s 1972 novel. The film follows a young girl, Sophia (Emily Matthews), spending the summer on a small Finnish island with her father, played by Anders Danielsen Lie. Most especially, it’s about Sophia spending time with her elderly grandmother, bravely played by the awe-inspiring actress of stage and screen, Glenn Close. And it’s about you getting to watch the little actress who keeps up with her.

​In this drama, Sophia is very close to her grandmother. The three generations work to confront grief, some better at it than others. Director Charlie McDowell makes sure you understand that it takes all three working together to move beyond the loss of a loved one. It isn’t, shouldn’t, and can’t be the job of one person to do it alone for the group. What is life without Sophia’s mother, his wife, and her daughter? Not happy.

Her daughter has died, and she is with her granddaughter now, who reminds her so much of the child she raised and, to some degree, the child she once was. These things haunt her. McDowell makes that abundantly clear. Sophia sees her mother, as a child, standing in a window next to her. The image gets to her, and her grandmother explains that it’s just a reflection. Her mother’s death isn’t talked about, so she’s having a terrible time getting beyond it.

She isn’t very trusting of her father (Anders Danielsen Lie) since he has done nothing for her. He becomes selfish, retreating into himself. She questions whether he loves her or even ever did. Is she too much of a painful reminder of what once was?

The young one is very astute, and since learning how brutal death truly is, she questions the pain… the pain of even an earthworm might feel when cut in half. She begins to worry about everything. The theme is darker than it needed to be to get the point across, but it’s done uniquely, through a child questioning her own reason for being alive.

The movie is sometimes a painful slow burn, but if you don’t mind that type of film, you’ll enjoy the artistry here. This is a lyricist’s film, beautiful cinematically and in spirit. The cinematography and editing choices are delicious. The views you get are stunning and put together so lovely that it ties a ribbon at the end for you. I won’t lie about it being slow… so prepare. Just take in what it’s saying; there’s no need to rush.