“The Summer Book”

Directed by: Charlie McDowell

Starring: Glenn Close, Anders Danielson Lie, Emily Matthews

Plot: Nine-year-old Sophia (Emily Matthews) spends the summers at her family’s seasonal home on a tranquil isle in the Gulf of Finland, but this will be the first summer without her mother. Her father (Anders Danielsen Lie) remains numbed by grief, while her grandmother (Glenn Close) guides her on a giddy, winding path towards young adulthood. With a sense of infinite possibility and a tender regard for the wonders of the natural world, Sophia and her grandmother explore the terrain, celebrate midsommar, and test the limits of faith in the face of life’s many storms

Review:

“The Summer Book” is gorgeously shot. The ocean, the sand, the rocks – really makes me want to travel there. There are a lot of shots of just the sky and sea and changing light. The film is slow placed, but it’s soothing. Not boring.

Glenn Close is..well.. Glenn Close. She’s fantastic here. Her character “Grandma” is funny, blunt, but loving. Sometimes all at once. You can feel how much she cares about her granddaughter.

The film’s tension comes from a brilliantly shot storm scene and scenario. But most of the tension comes from a look from one character to another or a wave. The movie is a quiet, gentle character driven drama. It will make you think about connection and love. It will make you feel you’re watching a documentary of these people’s lives instead of a film. The film has been lingering in my mind since I’ve seen it because it’s just so good.

**** out of *****

“The Summer Book” is available now on DVD and to RENT on Prime, Fandango, Google and YouTube!