The Summer Book (2024) YTS - Download Yify Movie

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Brent Marchant 5 / 10

Intergenerational stories told through books and film –

Intergenerational stories told through books and film – especially those involving touching interactions between grandparents and grandchildren – are longtime family favorites beloved for their inspiration, endearment and exploration of significant life lessons. One popular offering in this vein is The Summer Book, a 1972 novel by Swedish-Finnish author Tove Jansson, the foundation for this latest cinematic project from director Charlie McDowell. This fictional tale, based on members of Jansson’s own family, tells the story of a recently widowed father (Anders Danielsen Lie) who spends the summer at a family vacation home on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland with his young daughter, Sophia (Emily Matthews), and her wise old grandmother (Glenn Close, who’s inexplicably and uncannily made up to look like the second coming of Mrs. Doubtfire). The narrative largely consists of a series of conversations between Sophia and her granny about an array of life’s big questions (many related to growing up and growing old), most of which take place on various nature outings and in late night talks in the intimate surroundings of the family home. There are also several grownup dialogues between Grandma and her son, who’s having noticeable difficulty working through the grief of losing his wife and, consequently, finds himself less able to communicate with his daughter. By all rights, this would seem to provide the makings for a picture filled with a series of successive special moments (even though, in all honesty, Sophia, as she’s portrayed here, seems to be a little too old for asking some of the patently juvenile questions she raises, inquiries much more realistically suited to someone her junior). Unfortunately, those hoped-for results rarely surface in this offering, given that the script is painfully thin, smotheringly earnest, and riddled with far too many hypothetical open-ended questions that lead nowhere and frequently lack pertinence. What’s more, the film is highly episodic in nature with a strung-together mélange of meandering, unfocused events that lack meaningful underpinnings or relevant connection to one another. This release thus often plays like a poorly written young adult/tweener novel consisting of random occurrences that are supposed to seem like they add up to something profound but never do. The film’s overdramatic score, with its grand, swirling passages that lead one to believe that something important is about to happen (but, once again, doesn’t) continually leaves viewers deflated and unimpressed (perfect fodder for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 bit). And then there are some just plain odd sequences thrown in without explanation or apparent relevance, such as when Grandma goes for a swim and then puzzlingly exits the water and goes for a walk, naked, in the woods. (Huh?) While I must confess that I have not read the source material for this release, I have perused a number of reviews that have suggested the novel on which this film is based probably wasn’t a suitable choice from which to make a picture, given that it’s tone is more subtle, nuanced and meditative than what a filmmaker could probably capture and effectively depict in a movie. And, based on the finished product, that assessment would seem to be squarely on target. “The Summer Book” comes across like a production that struggles to translate its story from page to screen, and, while it might have some appeal to those who have read (and love) the book, it mostly leaves unfamiliar viewers unsatisfied, mystified and suffocated by its overwrought sincerity, cryptic happenings and melodramatic accentuations. Indeed, it’s one summer that many of us probably can’t wait to end.

Reviewed by 5 / 10

Cloyingly Earnest

Intergenerational stories told through books and film - especially those involving touching interactions between grandparents and grandchildren - are longtime family favorites beloved for their inspiration, endearment and exploration of significant life lessons. One popular offering in this vein is The Summer Book, a 1972 novel by Swedish-Finnish author Tove Jansson, the foundation for this latest cinematic project from director Charlie McDowell. This fictional tale, based on members of Jansson's own family, tells the story of a recently widowed father (Anders Danielsen Lie) who spends the summer at a family vacation home on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland with his young daughter, Sophia (Emily Matthews), and her wise old grandmother (Glenn Close, who's inexplicably and uncannily made up to look like the second coming of Mrs. Doubtfire). The narrative largely consists of a series of conversations between Sophia and her granny about an array of life's big questions (many related to growing up and growing old), most of which take place on various nature outings and in late night talks in the intimate surroundings of the family home. There are also several grownup dialogues between Grandma and her son, who's having noticeable difficulty working through the grief of losing his wife and, consequently, finds himself less able to communicate with his daughter. By all rights, this would seem to provide the makings for a picture filled with a series of successive special moments (even though, in all honesty, Sophia, as she's portrayed here, seems to be a little too old for asking some of the patently juvenile questions she raises, inquiries much more realistically suited to someone her junior). Unfortunately, those hoped-for results rarely surface in this offering, given that the script is painfully thin, smotheringly earnest, and riddled with far too many hypothetical open-ended questions that lead nowhere and frequently lack pertinence. What's more, the film is highly episodic in nature with a strung-together mélange of meandering, unfocused events that lack meaningful underpinnings or relevant connection to one another. This release thus often plays like a poorly written young adult/tweener novel consisting of random occurrences that are supposed to seem like they add up to something profound but never do. The film's overdramatic score, with its grand, swirling passages that lead one to believe that something important is about to happen (but, once again, doesn't) continually leaves viewers deflated and unimpressed (perfect fodder for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 bit). And then there are some just plain odd sequences thrown in without explanation or apparent relevance, such as when Grandma goes for a swim and then puzzlingly exits the water and goes for a walk, naked, in the woods. (Huh?) While I must confess that I have not read the source material for this release, I have perused a number of reviews that have suggested the novel on which this film is based probably wasn't a suitable choice from which to make a picture, given that it's tone is more subtle, nuanced and meditative than what a filmmaker could probably capture and effectively depict in a movie. And, based on the finished product, that assessment would seem to be squarely on target. "The Summer Book" comes across like a production that struggles to translate its story from page to screen, and, while it might have some appeal to those who have read (and love) the book, it mostly leaves unfamiliar viewers unsatisfied, mystified and suffocated by its overwrought sincerity, cryptic happenings and melodramatic accentuations. Indeed, it's one summer that many of us probably can't wait to end.

Reviewed by bdelk-83306 10 / 10

In The Summer Book, director Charlie McDowell adapts Tove Jansson's beloved novel into a gentle meditation on grief, aging, and the fragile bond between generations. It's a lyrical film-sometimes to the point of drifting-but at its heart is Glenn Close, delivering a performance of such understated depth that she almost single-handedly gives the story its pulse.Close plays the Grandmother, a fiercely independent, slightly mischievous woman living on a small island in the Gulf of Finland. Her days are spent exploring the rocks and tidepools with her young granddaughter Sophia (played with remarkable naturalism by a breakout newcomer). The pair's adventures range from light-hearted to painfully honest, as they navigate both the landscape and the unspoken absence of Sophia's mother.What makes Close's performance so remarkable is how completely she disappears into this salty, weathered character. There's no trace of the regal ferocity she's known for in roles like Dangerous Liaisons or Fatal Attraction. Instead, she embodies the Grandmother's playful stubbornness and quiet sorrow with a lived-in authenticity. Her eyes often do the heaviest lifting-whether sparkling with delight at discovering a new bird's nest or clouding over at the memory of her daughter.Close also resists any temptation to sentimentalize. The Grandmother is blunt, sometimes abrasive, and her relationship with Sophia is as much about learning to give space as it is about affection. But in small gestures-a hand on a shoulder, a sudden grin after a shared joke-Close reveals the profound tenderness beneath the brusque exterior.It's the kind of performance that reminds you why Glenn Close is one of the greats. While the film's pacing may be too languid for some, Close's work ensures The Summer Book resonates long after the credits roll. Her Grandmother feels as timeless and elemental as the island itself-a testament to Close's extraordinary ability to root even the lightest narrative threads in deeply human truth.

The Summer Book

2024

Action / Drama

The Summer Book

2024

Action / Drama

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Movie Reviews

Intergenerational stories told through books and film –

Cloyingly Earnest

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