(Talk about gorgeous posters! This is so much better than the poster they are using now. This should be used for the cover art when it's released on DVD)

"A vivid portrayal of an indelible friendship."
-- Harvey S. Karten, COMPUSERVE

"Achieves a nervy, wonderfully het up fervor."
-- Andrew Wright, THE STRANGER (SEATTLE, WA)

"A love fantasy with sparkling performances by newcomers Nathalie Press and Emily Blunt."
-- Ray Bennett, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"[Pawlikowski] coaxes brilliant performances from all three actors and keeps the audience nicely off balance in this bittersweet portrait."
-- Susan Green, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE

"An austerely heightened tale of sensual anxiety."
-- Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"Slowly evolves into an oddly affecting mood piece about lost girl–ness."
-- Michael Atkinson, VILLAGE VOICE

"Pawel Pawlikowski has crafted a moody and disturbing love story of manipulation and betrayal with a smattering of spare parts."
-- Jeanne Aufmuth, AUFMUTH.COM

"Summer is a prime showcase for Emily Blunt and Nathalie Press, two actresses given a shot at the big time with this film, and they meet the challenge brilliantly."
-- Brian Orndorf, FILMJERK.COM

"A startling rite-of-passage drama from Polish-born writer-helmer Pawel Pawlikowski."
-- Neil Smith, BBC

"To call this movie a lesbian love story, or a coming-of-age movie, would be unforgivably reductive."
-- Ella Taylor, L.A. WEEKLY

"Superbly acted, movingly written, and directed with a tough-minded lyricism rarely found in today's films."
-- David Sterritt, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR


Genre: Drama/Romance

Plot:

My Summer of Love is this summer's most intoxicating and intriguing romance. From Pawel Pawlikowski, the award-winning director of "Last Resort", comes a tale of obsession and deception, and the struggle for love and faith in a world where both seem impossible.

The passionate, droll, and mysterious drama features striking performances from its two lead actresses, both of whom are movie newcomers.

The film vibrantly charts the emotional and physical hothouse effects that bloom one summer for two young women (Natalie Press and Emily Blunt). Mona (played by Ms. Press), behind a spiky exterior, hides an untapped intelligence and a yearning for something beyond the emptiness of her daily life. Tamsin (Ms. Blunt) is well-educated, spoiled and cynical. As they are complete opposites, each is wary of the other's differences when they first meet, but this coolness soon melts into mutual fascination, amusement and attraction.

Adding further volatility is Mona's older brother Phil (Paddy Considine), who has renounced his criminal past for religious fervor – which he tries to impose upon his sister. Mona, however, is experiencing her own rapture. "We must never be parted," Tamsin intones to Mona…but can Mona completely trust her? -- © Focus Features

Tagline: The most dangerous thing to want is more.

Running Time: 1 hr. 23 min.

Release Date: June 17th, 2005 (limited).

MPAA Rating: R for sexuality, language and some drug use.

Country: UK

Language: English

Color: Color

Distributor: Focus Features

Starring: Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine, Dean Andrews

Directed by: Pawel Pawlikowski

Produced by: Chris Collins, Christopher Collins, Tanya Seghatchian

Awards:

After winning the Best New British Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Pawlikowski's follow-up to Last Resort (which also starred Considine) earned 4 nominations at this year's British Independent Film Awards (held November 30th).



(Ok, could that girl look more like a cross between Laura Prepron and Toni Collette?)




MY SUMMER OF LOVE has gotten raves and on Rotten Tomatoes so far it has 24 Fresh reviews and 1 Rotten for a 96% Fresh rating. That's quite impressive, but not very surprising considering the awards it has won.


In a summer of endless movies not worth seeing in theaters this is one that actually seems great. Sadly it's another limitedly released one that won't play around here. It's one of my more anticipated films released this summer though. Also it's being released by Focus Features which does lend it some credibility.

If I ever had the chance to see this in theaters I definitely would. But I know it won't come near me. It should play really well in art houses throughout the summer though. I will see it for sure when it hits DVD! The cinematography looks like it will be gorgeous and the movie seems nice and dreamlike.

It would be great if this could be one of this summer's little limitedly released sleepers.

I really want to see this... heard nothing but good things about it.

Unfortunately, don´t have any idea when It´ll be released here (or, gasp, if it will be at all!). Watch the film, so you can tell how if it´s that good! :wink:

Mike, :wink:

Mods/admin, can someone please merge this? I'd love to build a thread on this movie over in indies, since I'm seeing this film tonight!

Thanks.

Why would this have to be in idies? Not that many people go in there.

Anyways, the movie looks amazing and sounds amazing. Maybe it will be playing around me, it might be like this year's GARDEN STATE. It would be nice if it played someone.

Yeah, I know, and agree. I already mentioned I think we need to give up on that forum a good couple months ago. Its only perk is not getting bumped off the first page so quickly. But then again, no one goes in there, so it really doesn't matter how long it sticks around on page one.

Now would probably be a good time to suggest the merge again.

Hmmm...maybe if we put all the indies and foreigns films in the indie forum people will go there more often... This and "Fucking amal" and "Mysterious skin" and... many others should be there. Let´s move them! Who´s with me? :bud:

Oops, I'm sorry! I didn't even know there was an indies forum. No wonder there are posts for nothing but mainstream stuff in this forum and the mainstream moviegoers get mad if you make one for something that isn't going to be a big blockbuster. I should have been in that forum all along but I guess I didn't notice it ever existing.

Well now that I know there's one I guess I'll go in there. Since HIGH TENSION isn't mainstream (even if it got a wider release) the thread for that should have been in there .

phones a moving truck.

Dolce, you'll have to let us know how full it was at your theater. I hope it's packed. I want it to do well.

I got to see the trailer to this for the first time yesterday and it looks really good. It's doing pretty good in its limited release too, although it's slowing down now. I think they released it a little too wide too fast. Now it won't expand too much more. But it will be making over 1 Million for sure so that's awesome.

Will it be possible for it to get an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film? It probably won't, but it would be great if it did.

Well last week my art theater got MY SUMMER OF LOVE but they already got rid of it for another movie, I dunno what it is but I know it's a lesbian film.

It's probably SAVING FACE which is another popular one in art house theaters.

But dang you for not going to see it while they had it like you were going to! [-( You didn't even support it and yet you went to THE PERFECT MAN this week!

The only reason I saw THE PERFECT MAN was because that was at the $1 theater, which is about five minutes away. The art theater is down the street from where my mom works, so it's about 40 minutes away. I needed a ride when she went to work and it never really worked out. I saw going to see it on Sunday, now I guess I'll be seeing SAVING FACE.

SPOILERS AHOY. Don't read ahead if you don't want to know. And believe me, there is surprises to be had here...

If I had to sum up this entire film in one word, the word would be “vicarious”. People living through others is the central theme of My Summer of Love, not the well laid out lesbian romance, or the sexual tension between the three leads. It's one of those things that afterwards seems so... obvious.

All three characters are on the ultimate search to live another's experience. Obviously, Phil lives vicariously through Jesus and the town Bible-thumpers. Mona is introduced into a world where she is pampered and treated like a human being. It's obvious that the house and the excitement of Tamsin is contagious Tamsin, cultured and exotic, is someone Mona feels she has to live up to. Tamsin is unraveled as a master manipulator and a rather impressive actress. The deception to Mona is not cruel, it explains Mona's often blank stare and a yearning to have experienced some tragic moments in her life so she can perhaps feel like she has more “authentic”.

Like an M. Night Shyamalan film, it almost begs to be rewatched so you can see the clues. Tamsin says in the first five minutes that she was kicked out for being a bad influence, the weird and seemingly random trip to the city which results in a Jaguar with a broken window, her odd reaction to Mona showing her how men fuck, the seduction of Phil, her growing religious faith, even that Ouija scene which previously seemed so out of place. Even the title, My Summer of Love is an expression of what is going on in the film... I mean, otherwise woudln't a better title have been Our Summer of Love?

Most of the film revolves around the burgeoning relationship between Tamsin and Mona, which is natural and well laid out. What remains is an interesting interplay between Phil and Mona, as Phil tries to bury his past and Mona tries to recover what she can of her family.

Clocking in at a mere 86 minutes, My Summer of Love is an economical movie, one of those rare films that moves confidently from scene to scene without worrying about its audience participation level. In the first 10 minutes you see the building of a potential relationship, the setting up of a central conflict, introductions to all the character's pasts and has already established its style. Therefore it can spend most of its bulk developing the characters rather than the plot. The flow of the film is helped by the cinematography, which gives the whole thing a rather edgy, documentary feel.

The performances were great for the most part. Nathalie Press (Mona) starts of a little weak but definitely grows into her character. Emily Blunt (Tamsin) is perfect all the way through.

Overall, a great little flick. If I had one criticism I would say that Phil turns a little too violent at the end a little too quickly and maybe jumps farther ahead emotionally during his breakdown than a real person would. I understand the concept of Phil coming to grips with the idea that his religious faith is just a mask, but it is too sweeping of a change in a few minutes of time.

I'm glad I didn't read this thread and some of the critic quotes before hand... crap like "But can she trust her?" would have ruined the surprise.

You know what also came to mind when I watched it? Did you ever read Great Expectations? I think I might have mentioned this in my review, but the way Mona is brought up to the mansion the sister's room that has never been touched since her death, really remind me of the book.

But I do think there' also a high level of sensuality in the way the director captures the lazy summer days. They're always bathed in this rich golden yellow light, and sit around drinking and smoking. A sort of coming of age and awareness.



Tamsin was perfect. At first I couldn't tell if it was Blunt's acting or not, when she talks about Nietszche. I thought to myself how over-the-top lofty she was being. Assumed that it was a young girl trying to impress a new friend. It worked.



Very true about the title. Never thought of that. I did think the "Growing religiousity" and the finale with Phil were the biggest key that she's a master manipulator. That she can still up alot of trouble out of sheer boredom, and just to see what she can achieve. So in the scheme of things, twice she almost gets killed. The choking and the drowing.



I thought at least Blunt should have gotten a supporting actress nom at the Oscars.







Well, i didn't think it was a mask, I just think he was struggling to transition into it. His faith had not previously been challenged because he only hung out with over religious figures that valued him. This was the first time he was reminded how thin his safety net (emotionally and physically) was, and it made him snap. I thought it was odd how long Mona overheard the scene as well. It was a very upsetting scene, and at the time should have sent off warning bells about Tamsin.


I am so happy you really liked the movie!

I will copy and paste my intitial response to the movie into this thread, since there were two and it was confusing:




Here's Bradley's too, cause he was the second person here to watch it I believe:

Best film.
My rating 5- ( 5 )

yet to see this film, but i've heard similar things about it being great - anyone see one of his earlier films, Last Resort? That's worth a look too.

Someone really doesn't want me to see this...

First, Netflix sends me Mr. & Mrs. Smith instead and now, it gets lost in the mail through Blockbuster.

Meh. I'll get to it eventually...

*edit* Well... it arrived, a week after the shipped date.

Well, as I edited, it came in today. Watched it immediatly.

I loved it. (surprise, suprise...)

But really, it is an excellent (don't know if I could call it flawless, though.) film.

Spoilers in this post.


I finally saw it, frankly a better movie than I expected, one of the most well made indie type films I've seen in years. A few of those professional reviewers quoted above seem to have watched a different film than I did. This is a fairly dark tale about loneliness, desperation, manipulation and most of all trying to add meaning to your life when you feel lost and empty, not just with the lead girl but analogously with her brother's journey.

Great cinematography, one of the most beautifully photographed films of recent years, especially in the outdoor scenes and the dancehall scene. Or as DV summed it up, a visual orgasm. It also has a powerful ending that lifts it from the routine way it was threatening to head into and making something special. Andaroo's comparison to an M Night movie is a good analogy, though I was suspicious of Tamasin from the moment she talked about Nietzche, I was not suspicious enough. The whole last 20 minutes or so was so well shot and edited.

Of the reviewers above, the quotes I agree with most are by Jeanne Aufmuth, David Sterritt and Ella Taylor.

By the way something I found interesting is the novel this is based on apparently ends in a "gory" way. That makes a little sense, given the talk about crimes of passion and all the intensity built up. But probably best they didn't go that way with the film or it might have been pigeonholed as a horror flick or something.

Hmm, now I'm curious how the novel ends. Does anyone know?

I remember being somehow disappointed with the ending - expected something more violent/tragic, but I really need to see this again soon. I think it has already grown on me with just one viewing a couple of years ago.


Brilliant use of Goldfrapp's Lovely Head btw (the first time I heard the song was in this).