Review of My Summer of Love (2005) by Marli S — 03 May 2009

My Summer of Love explores class barriers, lesbian awakening, truthfullness, and alienation as two young women discover each other in an idle summer.

Mona, a bored teenager from a working-class family, is overcome by the new distance between Phil, her born-again brother, and herself. She lives above a pub, but her brother has poured all the alcohol down the sink, and it's now a place of worship. Mona seems to have wandered into a personal void without any kind of guidance, as her mother has passed away and Phil preoccupies himself with God and a search for a more moral cause. Tamsin, on the other hand, hails from a wealthy family, attends a posh boarding school, and studies Nietzsche in her spare time. When the two girls meet, they both learn that they are very much alone, and over the summer form an intense bond that borders on obsession.

Beautifully lyrical photography, and a air of mystery pervade the film. It is a triumph of mood and of allusion, with the director almost able to turn the English countryside, and even the sunlight into an active, nearly physical presence. The true cinematic gem does not appear until the end of the film, which ultimately offers an exhaustive perspective of coming of age and self-discovery, as youthful arrogance often prohibits outside guidance.