Summerland

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2:18

Summerland

PG

Released Jul 31, 2020

1h 39m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

78%

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129 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

A reclusive Englishwoman opens her heart to a young evacuee as World War II rages across the channel.

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Critics Consensus

In Summerland, the living is a little too easy to raise dramatic stakes -- but Gemma Arterton's performance adds some much-needed extra heat.

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John Doyle

Globe and Mail

Made with great panache, this is a real gem of understated poignancy; about summers as lovely as they are fraught.

Jan 14, 2021

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

Arterton towers in the role, not always in a good way. A stronger director might have reined her in, but Swale is not yet that experienced. When you add a large amount of treacle to the mix, the film becomes cloying and pushy.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 13, 2021

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David Stratton

The Australian

The child actors - Bond and Dixie Egerickx who plays a schoolfriend - are the most convincing elements of this woefully unconvincing romantic drama.

Rated: 1.5/5

Jan 9, 2021

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Dave Giannini

InSession Film

After the third act lands with a thud, it poisons that first hour to the point that the whole thing, at best, just feels like a waste.

Rated: C

Feb 20, 2024

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M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Summerland offers a refreshingly modern take on a genre that usually is as diverse as various colors of freshly fallen snow — though it ignores riskier choices that were there for the taking.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 1, 2022

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Summerland ignores most of the problems that probably would have emerged in Alice's life and instead opts for a film with copious amounts of warm-hearted escapism. It may be an illusion, but sometimes, that's just what an audience needs.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 18, 2022

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Dixie C

Very well done just didn’t realize what the story was about. Good acting and as I said well done. Wasn’t to much in your face.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/22/20

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Kelly

One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Excellent storyline.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/20

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Dani M

While it was predicatable and incredulous at times, it was still enjoyable. The performances were good, the cinematography was beautiful and the ending was emotionally gratifying. I liked that it did not try to be too grand or overly-ambitious. Just a small story about ordinary people living through some extraordinary times. Well worth the watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/05/23

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denise g

Surprisingly fresh and uplifting!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Veronica M

I get that viewers enjoy this movie while the big name critics hate it. You know what I hate? Jaded movie critics. Too often when I rent a well reviewed film, I am disappointed with a cynical twist (think Where the Crawdads Sing, for instance). What a treat, then, to watch a movie that seduces me with erotic glimpses of love and lust while making me laugh with childhood antics. In the end, I cried because, yes, I love happy endings, which, sadly, seem to be in short supply in today's cinema. If you don't mind feeling good, for a change, you will enjoy Summerland.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/19/22

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Margaret C

Quite charming evocation of times past but unrealistic in that there was access to beaches on the English Channel and no sign of the barbed wire and pickets on the beaches. I am also wondering why it took the main character thirty years to write her book, given she was a writer. It is not as if lesbianism was unknown in literary circles until the 70's.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/23/22

Full Review

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Jessica Swale

Director

Gemma Arterton

Alice

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Vera

Penelope Wilton

Older Alice

Lucas Bond

Frank

Dixie Egerickx

Edie

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Summerland: Trailer 1

2:18

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Synopsis

A reclusive Englishwoman opens her heart to a young evacuee as World War II rages across the channel.

Director: Jessica Swale
Producer: Guy Heeley, Adrian Sturges
Screenwriter: Jessica Swale
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: British Film Institute, Embankment Films, Quickfire Films
Rating: PG (Smoking|Language|Some Suggestive Comments|Thematic Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 31, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.3K
Runtime: 1h 39m

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