Review: Summerland

Summerland, director Jessica Swale’s feature debut, opens with an elderly woman alone in a small English seaside cottage. She is deep in thought and concentrating intently on something she is typing.  She is intensely frustrated when she is interrupted by some local children playing a trick at her door, but she dispatches them in a manner equal parts sass and bitterness, with some very amusing colorful word choices thrown in. However, there is also a sense of loneliness and remorse about the character (played to near perfection by Penelope Wilton).  What lead this woman to be so reclusive, what is she writing so passionately about, why do the locals appear to dislike her so much, and why does she seem so forlorn? Summerland is all about answering those questions, and tells a beautiful, at times overly sentimental, story along the way.

It turns out the woman in the prologue is the film’s central character, Alice Lamb, over 30 years in the future.  When we meet Alice (a brilliant Gemma Arterton) in the main storyline, she is still living alone in the cottage from the opening, very clearly dedicated to her work, irritated by interruptions, bitter, and reclusive. She is once again interrupted by children, but this time the circumstance is quite different. We have flashed back to the 1940’s, and England is in the midst of World War II. She is interrupted by the delivery of a young boy, Frank, on her doorstep.  Frank is a refugee from London whose parents are both deeply involved in the war effort, one as a pilot the other at a government desk job.  Alice’s immediate response to Frank is a hilariously blunt “Well I don’t want him”, she is reminded by the stern woman delivering Frank that “we all have to do our part”.  A sentiment I found to be especially relatable given what our world is going though right currently.

Although things start out strained between the two of them, unsurprisingly, they slowly begin to bond, and the transition is incredibly sweet. It would be almost too over the top sweet, if not for the performances and wonderful chemistry between the characters. Frank (an adorable and quirky Lucas Bond) shows interest in her work, and she starts to open up about it. She tells him that “Stories have to come from somewhere” and explains she is writing on scientific explanations for fairy tales and mythical places/creatures.   

That is not the only thing she opens up about though, and that brings us to the film’s next important storyline. You see, Alice loved and lost once, which is why she is so scared of getting close to anyone again. Hence, her isolation and bitterness. While the premise can be overdone, the take on it here is refreshing. Frank notices a photo of a much younger Alice with a beautiful woman, and shyly asks if that was the person she loved. She asks Frank if she would find it odd if she said yes, she was in love with a woman. Her reaction to him saying no is heartbreaking, and one of the most poignant moments in the film.

Flashing back yet another 20 years, shy young Alice meets beautiful socialite Vera (a radiant Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and the two form an immediate connection, which blossoms into love. Their flashback scenes are gorgeous and fun, but alas, we all know this cannot last. America in the 1920’s would not look kindly upon an interracial lesbian relationship, so Vera, who has always wanted a family, leaves to start one.  Alice is devastated.

The film is a gorgeously shot brochure postcard of coastal rural England:  sweeping scenes of ocean waves crashing against breathtaking white cliffs, sunlight trickling through trees in a dense fairytale-like forest covered in mist, and quaint colorful buildings along cobblestone streets all add to the often mystical feel of the film.  Many scenes are also bathed in a very subtle ethereal fog. The magic feel of the film is an interesting juxtaposition to Alice’s passion to disprove that magic itself does not exist.

The entire cast is superb. Rounding out the supporting players are Tom Courtney as the local and kindly Schoolmaster, and Dixie Agerickx as Edie. Edie is a loner and tomboy who befriends the shy Frank and provides some of the film’s funnier moments.  She is a maverick after all!

The film of course is not without its flaws. It can be emotionally manipulative and overly sentimental at times. The harsher themes of the film could have been focused on more, and likely would have in a different movie. This movie is certainly more about love, loss, and parenting than it is the ravages of war and unjust social taboos.

 I will not go into the plot of the film any more than I have already, but I felt the ending to be a bit too convenient and sappy. However, that sappy ending did bring me to tears, nonetheless. Summerland was both consistently well-paced and entertaining.  Most of all though, I felt it to be a beautiful breath of fresh air, magic, and hope in a time where so many of us need it.  That, along with the performances and beautiful setting make this film recommendable.