The Summer Book is a 2024 drama film directed by Charlie McDowell, from a screenplay by Robert Jones, based on Tove Jansson’s 1972 novel of the same name. The film is a Finnish/UK/US co-production. It had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2024 and went on general release in the UK last Friday, 7 August.

I would now give some indication of the plot, however there isn’t really a plot. This film is entirely about mood and form. I understand that the novel is a series of vignettes, almost stand-alone short stories, which weave together into a portrait of three characters across three generations of one family, over one summer on a small, remote island in the Gulf of Finland. In the year prior to this summer, a character has died: to ‘Grandmother’ (Glenn Close) she was a daughter-in-law; to ‘Father’ (Anders Danielsen Lie) she was a wife; and to Sophia (Emily Matthews) she was a mother.

So, to an extent this is a film about grief, however there is much more to it than that. I would say that it is about the transition between life and death: Grandmother, a little cantankerous, with a deep love for her son and her granddaughter, is gradually approaching her own death, and seems perfectly at ease with that. She is less at ease with her son’s failure to snap out of his grief, which has perhaps morphed into self-pity, and his failure to become the parent that Sophia needs. Sophia is still discovering the World, with her grandmother to help her along the way, but she has been deeply affected by the death of her mother and cannot understand why her father is so distant with her.

The film concentrates heavily, perhaps too heavily, on the relationship between Sophia and her grandmother, failing (in my opinion) to focus sufficiently on the bereaved husband, and so wasting the talents of Danielsen Lie. However, that is a minor criticism; there is so much in the Sophia/Grandmother relationship that I would not have wanted to miss a moment of it. The characters are all very likeable, but they all have their faults too – no clichés about sickly-sweet grannies here.

As a film which concentrates on form, rather than substance, there are no conclusions. It begins at the beginning of the summer when they arrive on the island; it ends when autumn approaches and they prepare to leave it. The film has been described as “light in story but heavy in mood” and I think that sums it up rather well.

It is beautifully shot, although I think with the backdrop of the Gulf of Finland in the summer, that would have been difficult to get wrong. McDowell directs with a light touch, letting the character development take control of the story. Close is quite wonderful as grandmother and the young Emily Matthews is perfect for her role. It is just a shame Danielsen Lie did not have more to get his teeth into.

The Summer Book is a very pleasant, gentle way to spend 90 minutes. I want to read the book now, which is always a good sign.