A quiet, deeply poignant masterpiece that captures the pure, understated essence of Tove Jansson’s classic.

The Summer Book, first published in 1972, is a celebrated semi-autographical novel by Finnish author Tove Jansson, famous for creating The Moomins. So it comes as some surprise that the film adaptation of this Nordic classic has been made by American Director Charlie McDowell and the lead part of the grandmother is played by Hollywood grandee Glenn Close. But to focus on that transatlantic aspect would be a mistake. While made in English for international audiences, this is nevertheless a beautiful and authentic Nordic film.

Set on a remote Finnish island, The Summer Book follows a young girl, her grandmother and her father as they spend the summer together following the death of her mother. As the long Nordic days unfold, the three generations navigate loss, love and the changing rhythms of life. Nature is ever present throughout the film, in both its joyous glory and its harsher and more troubling moments.

The Summer Book Review: Adapting Tove Jansson’s Page to Screen

While readers of The Summer Book may have drifted off into strong visualisations of life on a Finnish island, actually adapting the book for the big screen – and theatrical release was very much the intention of McDowell – is somewhat of a challenge. The book is largely episodic rather than plot based, and much of its beauty comes from its careful observations and the interpretations left to the reader. So the director has made some changes to ease the shift to film format, notably expanding the role and presence of the father, played by Anders Danielsen Lie, and increasing the age of the girl by three years to nine.

McDowell – who has directed films including The One I Love and Windfall – discovered the book in his 20s and was familiar with island and cabin life having spent summers at Matha’s Vineyard on the East Coast. However, it wasn’t until Covid lockdown that he revisited the book, encouraging his actress wife Lily Collins to read it. She, in turn, encouraged him to make it into a film and is an exec producer on the film.

Authentic Nordic Atmosphere and the Power of Nature

What makes the film so authentically Nordic is not just the director’s sensitivity to Jansson’s understatement and slow pace, but the Finnish location and attention to (Nordic) detail. The island and archipelago are truly wonderful, brought to life by lingering shots of shimmering water, lush moss, sun breaking through reeds and so on. Everyday objects are treated with real poignancy, such as the pen knife the grandmother and granddaughter use to carve wooden figures; and with humour, such as the false teeth the grandmother drops into a peony bush and become a discussion point for her and her granddaughter.

In many respects, the cabin, and its island surroundings, become a fourth character in the film. But it’s the three characters that really bring Jansson’s book to life. Close is inspired casting and gives the standout performance in the film. She apparently leapt at the chance to play the grandmother and was so immersed in the character that she insisted on sleeping at the cabin, which somewhat surprisingly is only a set. Close brings out every characteristic of the grandmother: warm, practical, uncompromising, funny, a little grumpy and an innate understanding of and respect for nature.

Her relationship with her granddaughter, wonderfully played by Finnish newcomer Emily Matthews, is a joy to behold.

Navigating Grief, Silence, and Generational Connections

The Grandmother gently shows the granddaughter how to see life and encourages her to be curious about everything around her. In the same way that film resists telling the audience what to think, the grandmother shows rather than tells. She clearly loves her granddaughter, but is anything but sentimental and can be irritated when the girl intrudes too far into her peace and tranquillity.

The two characters meet very much in the middle of the two generations. And that’s where the father is, or rather should be. While developed as a significant character for the film, the father is nevertheless outside of the close relationship that forms between his daughter and mother.

The father’s grief for the loss of his wife, while never explicitly articulated in the film, is a constant presence throughout the film. His silence and inability to be there for his daughter creates real sadness and tension for the daughter, driving her closer to her grandmother.

Conveying such emotion with little dialogue and set apart from the two other characters is no mean feat and Danielsen Lie does this superbly with the smallest gestures and expressions. He really brings the quiet emotional intelligence that audiences will be familiar with from The Worst Person in the World and Oslo, August 31st.

Verdict: A Slow, Meditative Triumph True to Tove Jansson

With so much close observation, slow dialogue and unspoken emotion, it’s not surprising that the film has received some criticism for having limited dramatic momentum. But frankly, that’s the point. The film’s slow pace and the fact that it asks so much of the audience are what make it compelling, Nordic and true to Jansson, even if this style of film making is less common today.

Even when things do happen in the film, they are as much about symbolism and creating opportunities for character expression, as they are about adding drama. The preparations for and celebration of midsummer are deeply rooted in everything the film has to say about nature. The lighthouse and storm scenes also play into the messaging about nature as well helping to push the emotions of the characters.

As well as everything the film has to say about life and nature, the other key theme of the film is death. Grief is ever present, but rarely spoken about. Death is shown to be as much a part of nature as everything that grows and brings joy on the island.

As such The Summer Book suggests that death is not to be feared and that loss should not be overly dwelt upon. It’s part of a good life that’s made up of many ordinary but wonderful days. And it’s this joy of the simple pleasures in life that will very much stay with you after watching the film.

The Summer Book is out now in UK Cinemas – look out for our interview with Anders Danielsen Lie later this month.