The Summer Book

Bluesky

At the time of writing, Glenn Close is 79. She’s been acting onscreen for 51 years, and what really stands out, when one looks at her work all together, is just how often she’s been the best thing about what she’s been in, the main or only reason why one would go to the trouble of watching it. Though The Summer Book has good foundations and is easy on the eye, that is very much the case here too.

Based on the book by Tove Jansson, which the author based on memories of her own childhood, the film follows Sophia (Emily Matthews), who is sent to stay with her grandmother (Close) on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland following the death of her mother. Her father (Anders Danielsen Lie) is an emotional wreck and has given her very little information about what’s going on, so, as he grandmother doesn’t want to overstep the mark, she is left to figure a lot of it out for herself. In the absence of those conversations, however, there is an abundance of love, and the wildness of her new environment provides plenty of distractions – at least once she gets over the assumption that there’s nothing to do there and realises how much freedom she has suddenly been permitted.

As her father retreats into his work as an artist and illustrator, Sophia also begins to bond with her grandmother, reinvigorating an elderly woman (considerably more fragile than Close herself) who has resolutely clung to her independence but does not seem to have had this much fun for a long time. She is gradually starting to lose her own memory, and Sophia’s various adventures help to bring it back. This contributes to a limited but nonetheless intriguing portrait of life in the archipelago, an unspoiled and largely overlooked corner of the world.

The cast is strong all round. The landscapes are pretty, even if one is left with the feeling that they’re a bit under-used here. The problem is that we’ve seen this sort of thing a great many times before and, performances aside, there’s little to make it stand out. As if in response to this, Hania Rani’s score ramps up the emotion in a way that doesn’t gel with the subtlety of the actors’ work, becoming rather overwhelming in places.

If all you’re looking for is a pleasant distraction, The Summer Book will serve you well enough. If you’re a Close fan, it’s a must. Otherwise, though you could certainly do worse, you’re likely to leave disappointed.

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