Summerland (2020 film)

Summerland is a 2020 British drama film written and directed by Jessica Swale. It stars Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lucas Bond, Dixie Egerickx, Siân Phillips, Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtenay.

Summerland
British theatrical release poster
Directed byJessica Swale
Produced by
Written byJessica Swale
Starring
Music byVolker Bertelmann
CinematographyLaurie Rose
Edited byTania Reddin
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • 31 July 2020 (2020-07-31) (United Kingdom)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£850,000[1]
(~US$1.1 million)
Box office$136,690[2][3]

The film stars Arterton as a reclusive writer who is forced to bond with a young boy who has been entrusted to her care after the London Blitz. It was released in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2020 by Lionsgate.

Plot

In the mid 1970s, Alice Lamb, a reclusive writer, lives by the seaside in a small town in Kent where she is bullied by local children and viewed as a witch. She has lived in the village since the 1940s.

During WWII, as part of the war effort, she is entrusted with the care of a young boy, Frank, who has come from London where it is unsafe. Though Alice does not want to care for him as she fears it will interfere with her work, she reluctantly lets him stay believing that he has nowhere else to go and she will be able to be rid of him a week.

Reluctantly bonding with Frank, she begins to remember her previous connection with Vera, a young writer who she met and fell in love with during her university days.

Cast

Production

It was announced in April 2017 that Gemma Arterton has been cast in the playwright Jessica Swale's directorial debut, with Swale also writing the screenplay.[4]

In May 2018, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtenay were added to the cast.[5] Filming was underway by September, production occurring throughout East Sussex in the towns of Seaford, Brighton and Kent.[6][7] Filming had concluded by November.[8]

Release

The film was released in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2020.[9][10][11]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "In Summerland, the living is a little too easy to raise dramatic stakes -- but Gemma Arterton's performance adds some much-needed extra heat."[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]

References
  1. Wiseman, Andreas (21 December 2018). "The BFI's Ten Biggest Production Awards Of 2018: New Movies With Keira Knightley, Henry Golding & Liam Neeson".
  2. "Summerland (2020)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  3. "Summerland (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  4. Grater, Tom. "Gemma Arterton to star in Jessica Swale's 'Summerland'". Screen Daily.
  5. Grater, Tom. "Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Courtenay join Gemma Arterton in 'Summerland' (exclusive)". Screen Daily.
  6. "Bond girl films new movie in Seaford". www.sussexexpress.co.uk.
  7. "WATCH: Bond girl actor and Oscar winning star roll in to film wartime drama". The Argus.
  8. Barraclough, Leo (1 November 2018). "Lionsgate Takes U.K. Rights to Gemma Arterton's 'Summerland' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  9. "StackPath". www.thehollywoodnews.com.
  10. Grater, Tom (May 26, 2020). "'Summerland': Watch Debut Trailer For Gemma Arterton Period Drama; IFC Films Plans Theatrical Release In July".
  11. Heath, Paul (July 10, 2020). "'Summerland' from writer/director Jessica Swale release date confirmed". The Hollywood News. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  12. "Summerland (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  13. "Summerland Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
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