My Summer of Love
by Pawel Pawlikowski
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dean Andrews, Emily Blunt, Michelle Byrne, Natalie Press, Paddy ConsidineDirector: Pawel Pawlikowski
Brand: Universal Studios
Cinematographer: Ryszard Lenczewski
Writer: Pawel Pawlikowski
Producer: Chris Auty
Producer: Chris Collins
Producer: David M. Thompson
Producer: Emma Hayter
Producer: Joshua Neale
Producer: Keith Evans
Producer: Tanya Seghatchian
Writer: Helen Cross
Writer: Michael Wynne
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 86 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-10-04
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of My Summer of Love
Movie Review: Touching Tale of Adolescent Angst while Coming of Age...
Summary: 5 Stars
The maze of emotional turmoil and identity often overwhelms teens, as they seek personal ways of finding themselves through trial and error. Some of these attempts are sometimes harmful and tormenting, yet the quest of finding oneself continues. This troublesome quest to come of age intensifies when guidance is of short supply, which on occasion could make the situation far worse than necessary. However, through this difficult time many youthful minds discover themselves through stressful and painful situations. My Summer of Love offers an intriguing piece of cinema in regards to this phenomenon where adolescence faces the highly stressful time of self-discovery.
The film opens with a scene where the story's protagonist Mona (Nathalie Press) sketches a portrait of someone directly on the wall. Decisively, she pushes the pencil against the uneven surface, as shoulders, neck, and a face emerge through her unyielding determination to finish the drawing. With red marker, she creates a frame around the portrait, which obviously seems to have some deeper meaning for Mona. When she is done, she sits down on the floor and lights a cigarette while the finished product stares down at her. This, seemingly out of place opening, suggests that the portrait has some significant meaning, but it remains a mystery to the audience until a later point of the film.
When the storyline picks up the thread, a straightforward tale of how two polar opposite teen girls from two different social classes unites in a sensible tale of affection, belonging, and friendship. The working class daughter Mona lives with her older brother and ex-convict, Phil (Paddy Considine), in an apartment above a pub. Mona seems to have wandered into a personal void without any kind of guidance, as her mother has past away and Phil preoccupies himself with God and a search for a more moral cause. Instead, she seeks her attention from older men who take advantage of her vulnerable state. When Mona meets Tamsin (Emily Blunt), an intelligent and neglected upper-class daughter who has returned from boarding school to spend the summer with absent parents, her life seems to change. Like the warm sunlight on a cold winter day, Mona embraces Tamsin's presence and wisdom, as she offers her a listening ear and friendship. In return, Mona gives Tamsin what she lacks in her existence - friendship and affection, which turns into a warm loving friendship where each teen gives each other room for growth and understanding.
Mona and Tamsin get closer as the summer progresses. They even become lovers that find comfort and affectionate care within their physical embrace. Within the presence of each other their trusts grows, as they share their secrets and fully expose themselves with complete disregard for their own safety. However, in their emotional bliss, they forget about the nearing fall, and Tamsin's return to boarding school. As the inevitable gradually approaches and the foreseeable pain of breaking up comes closer, their bond becomes stronger.
Pawel Pawlikowski's cinematic adaptation of Helen Cross' novel tailors a clever and symbolic tale of coming of age and all of its angst. In addition, Pawlikowski truthfully captures the self-deceit and emotional distress that immeasurable numbers of adolescents have suffered under the sign of amour. Skillfully the director uses visual symbolism through remarkable photography and scene framing, which brings forth through the, at times, brilliant storytelling. The opening with the moped without an engine analogously suggests Mona's own existence, which lack a drive and aim in life. Tamsin's initial appearance is completely opposite of Mona, as she enters the scene on a horse, which hints toward her untamed and spirited persona, which is something that attracts Mona. In the end, the story of the two girls presents touching tale of the pain and agony many naïve teens experience on their journey into adulthood.
My Summer of Love offers a worthwhile experience that brings the audience back to the nostalgia of adolescence through a captivating story of love, deceit, and other teenage predicaments. Several aspects of the film motivate the viewer to contemplate Mona's situation, as she draws the portrait in the opening of the film. However, the true cinematic gem does not appear until the end of the film, which ultimately offers an exhaustive perspective of coming of age and self-discovery, as youthful arrogance often prohibits outside guidance.
Summary of My Summer of Love
MY SUMMER OF LOVE - DVD MovieThere's a tantalizing touch of irony in the title My Summer of Love, since this superbly-acted relationship drama reveals much more than love between its curiously fascinating characters. As directed by Polish-born Pawel Pawlikowski (a veteran of British TV documentaries whose previous film was the praiseworthy Last Resort), this unconventional love story is an engrossing exercise in mood and psychology, set in a bleak but invitingly sunlit village in Yorkshire. It's there that lonely, working-class teenager Mona (Nathalie Press) encounters rebellious rich-girl Tamsin (Emily Blunt), and their unlikely friendship grows intimate... but is it really love? Or is Tamsin (who was suspended from boarding school) merely indulging her clever penchant for emotional manipulation during a lazy summer of privilege? Mona's born-again Christian brother (Paddy Considine) factors into the film's languorous mood and complex emotional landscape; this is a film in which love and loss are inseparably intertwined, and motivations remain partially hidden, making it all the more powerful when guarded truths are revealed. In addition to being a compelling study of class distinctions, My Summer of Love includes scenes of anxious menace and some unexpected surprises, packing more into 84 minutes than most films manage in two hours or more. Pawlikowski was listed among "10 directors to watch" in a 2005 article in Variety, and My Summer of Love validates that acclaim. --Jeff Shannon
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