Customer Reviews

My Summer of Love

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Mona is crazy with boredom in her tiny village and overcome by the new distance between Phil, her born-again brother, and herself. The mumblings of Phil's prayer meetings saturate the walls of The Swan, the old family pub where she and her brother live alone. Mona pushes herself on an old motorless bike down the neighboring hills. Lying by the side of the road, in the grass, seemingly injured, with her bike cast of to one side, she is found by a dark haired girl on a beautifully groomed horse. From her saddle, the girl asks if Mona's injured. "Nah, just resting," Mona explains, barely raising her head. The simplicity of the answer piques the girl's curiosity, and after introducing herself, Tamsin invites Mona to visit her at the manor where she lives. After a breakup with a married boyfriend, and some very depressing car sex, Mona decides to take Tamsin up on her offer.

"I'm home for the summer. I was kicked out. They told my mother I'm a bad influence on people," says Tamsin, eyeing Mona, with the hint of a game in her eye. Playing lady of the manor, she gives Mona a whirling and off-handed tour of her mansion, accompanied by melodramatic schoolgirl explanations of Nietzche and other philosophers. In response to Mona's sad life story--no father, a mother killed by cancer, and her born-again brother--Tamsin offers up her sister, Sadie, who has recently died from annorexia. The girls' reactions are marked. Tamsin offers no solace for Mona's loss, a seeming shrug that indicates Mona's dreary life is to be expected of a villager, while upon hearing of Sadie, Mona's eyes widen and she gasps a genuine "I'm sorry." Tamsin just measures the response, contemplating how she will play it. The contrast between the girls is superb. Tamsin's pale skin and hollow eyes, and languid motions, contrasted with Mona's messy auburn hair, strong features, freckled skin, and abrupt energy. Tamsin often comments on music and worldviews she's sure her village friend has never encountered. It's overtly patronizing. Yet Mona is no simpleton, and flings her own equally potent and emotionally honest answers at Tamsin's sly questions. When asked what she's intends to do with herself, she glibly answers something to the effect of: "Work in an abattoir, marry a loser, get pregnant, and pump out a thousand children." Tamsin can only raise an eyebrow, while Mona grins at her grim possibilities. The disparity between their classes is a draw and they both appear appreciate what they see as innate cruelty or strength in the other (Mona's hatred of her brother's Christianity, and Tamsin's cool world view). It's a strange love story of sorts. Or maybe a passion story, since love is a complicated subject within this movie.

Mona is the focal point. As the girls become closer she gives more of herself to the friendship. Her tight fists relax, and she laughs more. Meanwhile the already self-assured Tamsin sees Mona's raw moments of beauty, with a caustic mix of jealousy and admiration in her eyes, coupled with a sense of accomplishment. This is never better revealed then when the girls are alone at the manor and Tamsin flings her gorgeous castoff clothes for Mona to try on. Mona dances clumsily, but uninhibited, in front of the mirror, awed by how pretty the dresses are, and suddenly aware of how pretty she might be. Nathalie Press as Mona and Emily Blunt as Tamsin are wonderful young actors. Their eyes and motions speaking volumes.

Pawel Pawlikowsky has an eye for the dull, and often, depressing beauty of Yorkshire--monochromatic hills of sun bleached wheat, occasionally marred by flowering heather, the dreary majesty of Tamsin's ivy cloaked manor, and the shade drenched woods that provide refuge for Mona. It gives the film a sense of weight. And his treatment of the love between the girls is realistic: curiosity, possession, lust, and cruelty. The dialogue is simple and candid. And the ending has a beautiful brutality. There's nothing sweet about it.

Five stars because I could not predict what would happen next, and because none of the main characters were cardboard cut-outs, as in Hollywood films. You can't point to the older brother and say, "Oh, well he's just a religious nut." They are people, and come across as such, with real faults and virtues, understandable and even lovable.

And, that is why the film will never be popular. Things are not spelled out. You have to do more than just sit there watching and absorbing. You have to think as you watch the film. I have noticed that thinking is very unpleasant for most people, and they will do anything to avoid it. Hence they will mark the film low because "it's thin on plot," or "not enough dialogue." Observe carefully, and read the body language and the facial expressions, in addition to hearing the dialogue. Then, you can understand and appreciate this excellent, beautiful, artistic film. Some of the scenes are just flat-out gorgeous, filmed in the countryside. The whole movie is like a vacation to which I wish I was invited.

Also, needless to say, the two lovers in question are gorgeous. I like the Celtic one best because she has the most color, orange and blue. Just watching her face and her body is justification enough for the whole movie. She also has a pulse, unlike her icy cold, Neitzche-admiring, elitist companion who, while pretty, could never be captivating. She just seems immediately dangerous from the get-go. You would not want to leave a pair of sharp scissors around her.

It's not a terribly sexy movie, in terms of flesh or action, and the lovers are naive first-timers, who probably need instruction on "what to do" and "how to do it". But then again, this ain't porn, but a romantic story about love. And it works as such. Very intelligent. Neat take on the whole "religion versus atheism" bag. I think the movie comes out for common sense in the end, embracing the classic British viewpoint that has prevailed since the Puritans were expelled.

Mona (Nathalie Press) is bored. And disgusted with her brother, Phil (Paddy Considine, "In America", "Cinderella Man"). Phil, just released from prison, returns home having `found God' and transforms the family pub into a revival hall. He starts to have meetings, trying to transform the lives of people in the small Yorkshire town. Mona meets Tamsin (Emily Blunt), the daughter of a wealthy family. They form a friendship, teaching each other about their lives, sharing secrets, exploring together.

"My Summer of Love" is a very good film. Many things about it are fairly ambiguous, peaking your attention. For instance, it isn't immediately clear when the film is taking place. Everything in the little town in Yorkshire, England is slightly old-fashioned. Very few cars are seen. The two girls dress in slightly hippy-ish clothes. No cell-phones, plasma televisions or computers are in evidence. But I don't think it is actually set in the late 60s. I don't think the film is trying to be a period piece. But because it is ambiguous about this, the film gives itself a certain amount of dramatic license, allowing us to believe in the relationship between the two girls.

As the two girls grow closer, they begin to affect each other's lives in ways that are very natural. Each is clearly bored. Tamsin mentions early on that she was expelled from boarding school. She is "a bad influence". Because she is bored, is a bad influence, and has more resources than Mona, she begins to change the life of her friend. First they are friends, sharing laughs and time, and adventures. But as their relationship unfolds, they become closer and share love, declaring that they will never separate.

Mona is a less complex character on the surface. She follows Tamsin's lead, presumably to the ends of the Earth. A captive audience for Tamsin, the stronger personality, Mona follows because she wants to escape her brother's newfound religion. As her character develops, we sense that she is perhaps stronger than she let on, maybe even steering the relationship to meet her needs.

The two girls become lovers, but the film is not about them being Lesbians. It is about the bond they build and share, and how that bond is threatened. Both girls are probably seventeen and they share experiences like any normal teenage girl or boy would share them. With intensity. As if they were the last experiences they were ever to have. With all of their heart.

There is a lot of emotional power in the film. Mona doesn't really believe that her brother has "found God". It is merely another scheme he has come up with. This makes him all the more unbearable to her. Later, when he comes to Tamsin's house to find her, Tamsin tries to seduce him. This is a great scene, providing a lot of depth to all three characters.

"My Summer of Love" is a very good film about two teenagers who share love, heartbreak and more over the course of a single summer.

Propelled by splendid performances by Nathalie Press and Emily Blunt, My Summer of Love is a film that you won't forget. My Summer of Love explores class barriers, lesbian awakening, truthfullness, and alienation as two young women discover each other in an idle summer. The well-heeled Tamsin (Emily Blunt) is home from school after being suspened for disciplinary problems. Mona (Nathalie Press) the recently orphaned dauthter of a pub owner struggles with life at home with her ex-con, born again religious zealot brother. The two girls find eachother and the sexual tension between them bridges the wide social gap.

The script is excellent and the movie allows us to witness the deepening affection between Mona and Tam with the creative hand of the director hidden behind the evolution of the principal characters. The sexual tension between the girls grows as the conflict between the girls and Mona's brother intensifies.

My Summer of Love is superbly cast, admirably directed and ultimately believable. The story is captivating, spellbinding, and in the end unforgettable. The DVD is a must buy.

Phil: What is wrong with you?
Mona: I just miss me brother.
Phil: I'm here.
Mona: That ain't you. It ain't.
Phil: Oh no, this is me, this is the real me.
Mona: I want the old Phil
Phil: Well that old Phil, he didn't make me very happy.
Mona: He made me happy. I love my brother, he used to be real. I haven't got any family, me home's changed, no one fancies me...
[breaks into tears]
[hugging Mona] Phil: Oh Jesus watch over this child, watch over her...
Mona: Oh no, f*** off! F*** off!

Two sixteen year old girls in the summer of their lives. They both live in Yorkshire, however, they might as well have lived on opposite sides of the moon. Mona, lives with her brother, Phil, who has found God and is born again from a life of crime. Tamsin is lonely and bored young woman, born to a wealthy family. They run into each other and become kindred souls.

Mona lives with her brother above a pub, and his friends come daily to appraise The Lord. Mona has lost the brother she knew, and she does not like this new one. Her boyfriend has dropped her and she has no one. Tamsin tells Mona she has lost her sister from anorexia, her father has an ugly, buxom girlfriend, and no one pays any attention to her.

Mona and Tamsin find adventure and freedom in the countryside. Mona moves in with Tamsin and they travel on a used motorbike. They visit each other's favorite haunts and eventually they find each other. Romance and love abound, but will it last? Phil w ants Mona to come home, or at least to come to his "Raising of the Cross". She and Tamsin do attend, but they also decide to upset Phil and his whole crowd and they do it in an unimaginable way that will upset everyone.

This is a film that shows the acting abilities of both of these women. Nathalie Press as Mona and Emily Blunt as Tamsin; were it not for their marvelous acting and playing their young selves, this movie would not jell. The carefree teens and their life of innocence and wanting is a realm of theatre that must be seen. The filmography is beautiful and the surrounding countryside is full of life.
Recommended. prisrob

Based on the novel by Helen Cross, the British drama "My Summer of Love" tells the story of two troubled teens from opposite sides of the tracks who - as the title pretty much spells out for us - meet one summer and fall in love. Her mother dead and her father long gone from the scene, Mona (Natalie Press) is a simple country girl who lives with her ex-convict, born-again Christian brother who, much to Mona's disgust, has decided to convert the family-owned pub into a meeting place for Pentecostal revivalists. Tamsin (Emily Blunt), on the other hand, hails from a wealthy family, attends a posh boarding school, and studies Nietzsche in her spare time. However, despite all these seeming advantages, Tamsin has also endured her share of tragedy. Her beautiful older sister died of anorexia, her father is a serial adulterer and her mother is a second-rate actress who spends much of her time away from home touring with third-rate acting companies. Lonely, bored and feeling abandoned by those closest to them, Mona and Tamsin turn to each other for companionship and support, finding hope and meaning in a relationship that neither of them can ever truly understand.

Written and directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, "My Summer of Love" is a fascinating study not only of two complex and interesting characters but of the milieu in which they live. The girls are clearly intended as sympathetic figures - and for the most part that's how they come across - but Pawlikowski is not afraid to show them in a less-than-flattering light when necessary. Tamsin, for instance, has serious issues with honesty, and even though the girls have suffered quite a bit at the hands of unfeeling adults, that still may not justify some of the petty retaliations they take against those to whom they feel superior (Mona's religious zealot brother and his fundamentalist minions) or whom they believe have hurt them in some way (Mona`s married ex-boyfriend, Tamsin`s father`s current girlfriend). This, however, only makes the characters more three-dimensional and believable and helps us to identify with them more strongly. Pawlikowski matches this in the tone of the film, for despite the lyricism of many of the scenes, there is always a hint of darkness and danger lurking just beneath the surface. We never quite know where the story is going because it refuses to follow any type of narrative formula. The portrayal of the born-again Christians does border dangerously on the stereotypical, but their presence in the story provides an intriguing counterpoint to the lesbian love affair at the forefront of the film. It also leads to a visually stunning sequence in which a group of worshippers carry a massive wooden cross to the top of a hill as a way of reclaiming the valley for Jesus.

Press and Blunt are excellent as the two young women at the core of the story, and Paddy Considine ("In America") is equally effective as the brother who loves Mona in his own way but whose new-found religious extremism ironically functions as a wall preventing him from showing that love.

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.

My Summer of Love blew me away. I wasn't expecting such an intense movie. The movie is mostly starring Mona.(Natalie Press) Set in an isolated village in northern Yorkshire, Mona is hurt, angry, lost and bored out of her mind. She has no father, her mother has died. She is mourning the "loss" of her brother, Phil, who has done away with his voilent ways and is "born again" Christian.

The first thing I love about this movie is that it is set in a small village. While the scenery is beautiful and charming, as the movie goes along it shows you there really is nothing in a small village.

Mona then meets Tamsin (Emily Blunt), Tamsin is in yorkshire for the summer. Rich, lonely, elegant and dramatic. Mona and Tamsin hang around with eachother, over cigarettes and red wine and french music in Tamsin's stately mansion. Both girls learn they are very much alone, and over the summer form an intense bond that borders on obsession. They say they must never be parted.

The movie is gentle yet intense, very stunning and shocking. I do not percieve it as an "lesbian flick." They were both emotionally needy and turned to eachother because they were hurting inside. I think my summer of love is all about love and whatever way you yourself percieve it. Also with pain and obsession thrown in, too.

Paddy Considine, who plays mona's brother, Phil is also excellent in this movie. He "found" god and gave up his voilent ways only to return to voilence at the end of the movie. This movie truly shows what being in turmoil is.

The music is also excellent and fits the movie perfectly. Soft, whimsicle sounds and an haunting voice that chills me. It is absoulutely beautiful.

This is an open minded movie. I give it five stars. It truly shows the nasty circle of emotional pain. Go see it, it'll make you think.

I happened to enjoy the movie so much more than I did the book! Perhaps it was because of Emily Blunt's incredible portrayal of Tamsin who is beautiful, seductive and very troubled! She did a brilliant job and if there isn't a reason for someone to watch this movie, I can tell you now, BLUNT is the reason!

In recent years there has been a crop of small films that recall those great small films of the early to mid-70's. Into the Wild (2007) and Wendy and Lucy (2008) are prime examples of this phenomenon, but My Summer of Love (2004) might be the most interesting. It certainly leaves a lasting impression. Really two things leave a lasting impression: the bleak but beautiful Yorkshire valley (which serves as a kind of refuge for two wild creatures that refuse to be contained by social mores/norms) and Emily Blunt's performance (which to this day remains her signature role).

My favorite films from the 70's were the small films that shunned conventional narrative techniques and celebrated the psychological states of individuals who also shunned convention. I am thinking of Barbet Schroeder's More and La Vallee, Antonioni's Zabriskie Point, Altman's Images and Three Women, Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock, and the recently re-released Frank Perry film The Last Summer (1969). These films celebrated little moments of liberation, but they also acknowledged the fleeting nature of liberation, and the cynicism that often rested at the heart of the liberatory impulse. The reason so many of these films were made in the early to mid-seventies was because that was the moment when post WWII, 1950's, and 1960's optimism faded and turned into 1970's skepticism and selfism. In so many of the seventies films dreams of liberation are equated with self-delusion and/or self-destruction. In the 1960's to dream was to awaken to possibility; in the 1970's to dream was to refuse to see the world as it was. My Summer of Love is about two characters: one dreamer, and one cynic. But its also about how these contradictory impulses co-exist within each of us and how we negotiate between the two.

Without giving away too much of the movie's mystery, I'll just say the way Tasmin (played by Emily Blunt) negotiates her own contradictory impulses is fascinating to watch. This is not only a wise and open-eyed study of the divided nature of post-adolescent psychology, but a wise and open-eyed study of the divided nature (and warring impulses) of western psychology.

Highly recommended!