My Summer of Love

My Summer of Love is the latest critical smash from Last Resort writer-director, Pawel Pawlikowski, which was deservedly labelled Best British Film of 2004 by some and was awarded the prestigious Michael Powell Prize at the Edinburgh Film Festival, giving you some idea of its pedigree.

In short, the film chronicles the highs and lows of the relationship between two very different teenage girls over the course of one hot summer in their sleepy West Yorkshire village.

The manner of their initial meeting is particularly noteworthy, illustrating the girls' differences in a truly unique way. Mona (Press) is raw and unrefined, typified by her strong local accent she is the product of a working class upbringing with only her brother Phil (Considine), a born-again Christian ex-criminal, to guide her. Whilst the affluent Tamsin (Blunt) possess all the trappings of wealth and the kind of personality that such status brings.

However, despite such contrasts, they find something in each other that propels them into becoming more than just friends, as the title suggests. This aspect of the movie is handled particularly well but there is much more than just romance; the piece expresses a real tenderness that few films achieve, and also has its fair share of unconventional humour.

There are ingenious twists and turns that drive this picture to its conclusion but I hasten to add more details for fear of taking something away from a truly enjoyable film. Suffice to say, the calibre of the acting, particularly of the three leads, is at times breathtaking. Press and Blunt bring an inherent naturalness to their parts, expressing them with a great deal of conviction, whilst Considine is suitably unhinged in his.

Overall, the direction is sharp and clearly exhibits the passion Pawlikowski felt for the project. The cinematography is equally intense, making excellent use of the location.

Essentially, this is a thoroughly intelligent picture that I urge you to come and see, given that it has had far from a wide release and if you miss it now, you are unlikely to get another chance to see it as it should be seen.

James Kopka