Summerland (2020)

Gemma Arterton and Lucas Bond star in writer/director Jessica Swale’s 2020 period drama SUMMERLAND.

SUMMERLAND

2020. UK.

 Director: Jessica Swale

Screenplay: Jessica Swale

 Starring: Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lucas Bond, Dixie Egerickx, Siân Phillips, Penelope Wilton & Tom Courtenay

This WWII set period drama follows Alice, a reclusive academic writer, who is forced to take a young boy into her beachside cottage during the 1940 Battle of Britain. Alice isn’t exactly welcoming to young Frank in the beginning, but over time the two grow to appreciate each other’s company as they bond over a shared interest in myths and folklore (Alice’s area of study).

The story is told with numerous flashbacks featuring the relationship between Alice and her partner, Vera (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). We watch their relationship grow, and then eventually fall apart because Alice isn’t interested in having a larger family.

“It’s very rare to see a story about two lesbians in a period drama where what drives them apart isn’t how difficult it is to be gay,” writer/director Jessica Swale explained to the New York Daily News in 2020.

Indeed, the film does discuss that difficulty – it’s hard not to address it in a film set during the 1940s – but it doesn’t dwell on it. What is additionally refreshing about this heartwarming tale is that it has a happy ending, which is another rare aspect of lesbian period dramas.

You can find SUMMERLAND streaming on Hoopla (Canada), AMC+, IFC Films & Philo (USA), Sky & Now Cinema (UK), for rent/purchase through AppleTV & Amazon, and also available on DVD & Blu-ray.