My Summer Of Love Details

hypnotic vision of young love and escapism

Set in rural Yorkshire the story focuses on the impressionable Mona and her new found friendship with spoilt rich-kid Tamsin. As the summer progresses so does their relationship, Mona becoming drawn towards Tamsin?s bitter view of life and exacting schoolgirl revenge on the men in their lives. Their eventual progression to lovers is delicately handled and both newcomers Natalie Press & Emily Blunt are excellent in the lead roles. Paddy Considine also giving another edgy performance as Mona?s born-again Christian brother who has turned to God since his release from prison.

Beautifully shot and despite the resemblance to Heavenly Creatures the end result is an hypnotic vision of young love and escapism. Although nothing particularly new and not as powerful as Pawel Pawlikowski?s previous film, Last Resort, this is well worth a watch.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Enjoyable and interesting

This film is well worth a look for several reasons.

The story is about the intense and abrupt relationship that forms between Mona, a working class girl dealing with her ex-con, born again christian brother and Tamsin, a well off girl home from boarding school for the holidays. Generally the film is not about the relationship in terms of sexuality but about the intensity between two people in need of someone to love, understand and basically hang out with.

Mona's brother's conversion to christianity is more of a sub plot than anything else... something to point fun at really.

The acting is superb and having watched the interviews in the extras you realise that the realism portrayed is down to the director and the occassional improvisation and ofcourse the naturalness of the cast.

You never really know what's going to happen or how the relationship will turn out and as a result I found the ending quite appropriate and realistic.

Overall I thought this film was interesting, well acted and thoroughly enjoyable.