In The Summer Book, director Charlie McDowell adapts Tove Jansson's beloved novel into a subtle reflection on grief, aging, and the fragile bond between generations. It's a lyrical film, sometimes drifting, but at its center is Glenn Close, offering a performance of such understated depth that it almost single-handedly gives the story a pulse.
Close plays Grandma, a fiercely independent and slightly mischievous woman living on a small island in the Gulf of Finland. She spends her days exploring the rocks and tide pools with her young granddaughter Sophia (played with remarkable ease by a breakout actress). The pair's adventures range from the lighthearted to the painfully honest, as they navigate both the landscape and the unspoken absence of Sophia's mother.
Director: Charlie McDowell
Writers: Robert Jones, Tove Jansson
Stars: Emily Matthews, Glenn Close, Anders Danielsen Lie
What makes Close's performance so remarkable is how completely she blends into this salty, weathered character. There's no trace of the majestic ferocity that characterizes her in roles like "Dangerous Liaisons" or "Fatal Attraction." Instead, she embodies the playful stubbornness and quiet sadness of the grandmother with innate authenticity. Her eyes are often the most striking, whether sparkling with joy at the discovery of a new nest or darkening at the memory of her daughter.
Close also resists the temptation to sentimentalize. The grandmother is direct, sometimes brusque, and her relationship with Sophia is as much about learning to give space as it is about affection. But in small gestures—a hand on a shoulder, a sudden smile after a shared joke—Close reveals the deep tenderness hidden behind a gruff exterior.
It's the kind of performance that reminds you why Glenn Close is one of the greats. While the film's pacing may be too languid for some, Close's work ensures that "The Book of Summer" resonates long after the end credits. Her grandmother seems as timeless and elemental as the island itself: a testament to Close's extraordinary ability to root even the lightest narrative threads in a deeply human truth.
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