Review: Summerland

Image courtesy of IFC Films.

The British film "Summerland" is the quintessential example of what one might call a "nice little film." Set against the backdrop of World War II, the film tells the type of quaint type of tale that only the British could provide. In other words, I liked it - despite it being a film in which some relatively high stakes are considered with a lighter touch.

In the film, self-exiled recluse Alice (Gemma Arterton) is the local fuss budget - the picture opens with a scene in 1975 during which she's feverishly typing away at her typewriter and working on academic theses, only to be interrupted by some local children, and then flashes back to the WW II era, during which she's doing basically the same thing, only to be interrupted by a local woman with a young boy named Frank (Lucas Bond) in tow whom Alice is told has come from London - his father is a pilot in the war, and his mother has remained behind in London - to escape the bombing and be safe in the countryside.

Alice denies knowing anything about it, but finds a piece of unopened mail notifying her about the boy's pending arrival. There's a plot thread left unanswered regarding this later in the film that doesn't exactly make sense once we realize who exactly the kid is, but never mind. The film becomes one of those stories you've seen 100 times - grouchy adult resists, but eventually becomes enamored by plucky kid and changes ways, etc.

So, it took me a while - much like Alice herself toward Frank - to warm to the film because, well, I felt I'd seen it too many times before. But the camaraderie between Arterton and Bond is pretty solid, plus there's a back story involving Alice and her secret relationship in the past with a woman named Vera (Gugu Mbatha Raw) that provides some intrigue. There's also a bratty little girl named Edie (Dixie Egerickx) with whom Frank becomes friends.

About halfway through the film, news reaches Alice that Frank's father has been killed in the war, and there's a significant amount of time spent on Alice trying but failing to break the terrible news to the boy. Again, this seems like a familiar trope, but in this case it helps to soften us toward Alice, whose brusk attitude - there's a funny scene early on when a young girl thinks Alice is going to buy her a candy bar, only to realize Alice has bought it for herself - might make her somewhat unlikable at first.

There's a plot twist late in the film that deserves some credit - often, such twists can be seen far in advance, but I had no idea this one was coming. That's also likely because it's somewhat preposterous, that is, until you realize it's not one of chance, but design. Regardless, it leads to an ending that turns out to be surprisingly moving.

"Summerland" is, as I'd mentioned, a nice little British picture - quirky, warm hearted, occasionally funny and, ultimately, a little safe. On the other side of the spectrum of UK cinema is Ken Loach's emotionally brutal "Sorry We Missed You" - which I watched last week and can attest is quite good. Both deal with somewhat serious scenarios, but in completely different ways. And that's OK. "Summerland" doesn't aim to be a heavy hitter - it's pleased with being an enjoyable diversion and, as such, it works just fine.