Friday, June 17th, is the U.S. opening of My Summer of Love, an "L" story filmed in the English Countryside during a 2003 heat wave. Why the "L"? Because the story is about layers; layers of lust, lazy longing, loneliness, love and loyalty.
This film, which has garnered several awards since it's UK opening last October 2004, is being described as an art film with a mix of the erotic and the obsessive, the gorgeous and the destructive.
On a hot summer's day, 16 year old Mona (Nathalie Press) is out riding her motor-less Honda, when she meets a new friend, Tamsin (Emily Blunt). Tamsin is boarding school rich, while Mona is working class. The young women become closer and closer, both emotionally and physically. This friendship arouses the concerns of Mona's older brother Phil (Paddy Considine - Last Resort, In America, Cinderella Man). Phil was a hard drinking violent man who turned to Christ while in prison and has since converted the family's pub into a faith retreat. He fears the presence of the Devil in Tamsin.
The heat of the Yorkshire summer mirages into the rising heat between the two girls as they fall in love with each other and spend their summer in a dream world, unpeeling layers of self-consciousness. They plot revenge on those who've hurt them, and plan an escape of the monotony of the future. The dichotomy of their upbringing is played upon throughout the story but perhaps in more of a yin-yang fashion. Mona drives the cheeky motorbike, thereby providing transport, yet Tamsin is the only one who can finance the actual motor. While Mona jokes about her real name being Lisa - The "Mona" being added by her brother for her whiney younger years - Tamsin casually quips that she's, "studied the original".
Originally released through BBC Films, it is now distibuted in the States by Universal Studios' Focus Features. My Summer of Love did well with critics who cite not only the young actresses fearless performances, but director's Pawel Pawlikowksi film-making style: part documentary, part improvisation.
The film, whose source is the 2001 debut novel by Helen Cross, has won Best British Film in the British Academy Awards, and the Michael Powell Award at the 2004 Edinburgh Film Festival. The Edinburgh Festival seems to favor director Pawlikowski, his film, Last Resort ,won the same prestigious award in 2000.
Article comments
1 - Mitch
Nice review. Great description. It had my friend Willie so interested that he stood up and took notice. I think we will be renting this one soon.