Review: My Summer Of Love
I was always unsure about renting My Summer Of Love, as the trailer reminded me of the Australian film Somersault (starring Abbie Cornish, rumoured cause of the Witherspoon/Phillippe break-up), which I really didn't like, and it stars Emily Blunt who was rather annoying in The Devil Wears Prada. However, I regret that now, having seen My Summer Of Love, cos it's actually a very good film. The two young girls are so realistic, reminding me of many girls I've known, and they have great chemistry together.
The whole story is quite believable, never taking things too far, as other film-makers might do with Mona's brother's violence or the lesbian love scenes, the latter being treated with no desire to court controversy. Like A Home At The End Of The World, this is a love story like any other and it does not matter what gender the characters are. It's nice to see a film which is about a gay relationship, but isn't about homosexuality in general - it's just about two girls, their contrasting lives, and the summer they spend together.
From the trailer (particularly the music used, which does appear throughout the film too) I expected My Summer Of Love to be a bit depressing, but it isn't at all. The trailer makes it seem eerie and upsetting, but it's actually really funny, especially some of Mona's scenes, such as her devil impression and her plans for the future (at first she says she wants to be a lawyer, then decides she'll work at an abattoir). Being a Southerner myself, Tamsin is the kind of girl I meet every day, yet it was Mona who I felt drawn to, and I think that will be universal with viewers. Nathalie Press is compelling to watch and clearly a great actress, so I look forward to seeing more of her.
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