My Summer of Love (2004) Movie Review

『🌞 Midsummer Fantasies and Realizations: Love or Illusion?』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: My Summer of Love (2004)
🌍 Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Romance / Queer
⏳ Runtime: 86 minutes
📢 Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
🖋️ Screenplay: Paweł Pawlikowski, Michael Wynne
📖 Based on: Novel of the same name by Helen Cross
📺 Platform: DVD·VOD

👩‍💼 Cast: Natalie Press – Mona
Emily Blunt – Tamsin

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

🌱 Two Worlds, One Midsummer Meeting

Mona lives quietly in the Yorkshire countryside with her brother Phil. After being released from prison, Phil becomes deeply religious, restricting Mona’s daily life, yet cracks in routine bring room for change. Tamsin, a troubled student expelled from an affluent boarding school, arrives at a rural manor. Her first appearance on a white horse instantly reveals the social and emotional gap between them.

🎶 Romance and Deception Begin

Despite contrasting backgrounds, the two girls are strongly drawn to each other. Tamsin impresses Mona by speaking of Nietzsche and playing the cello. She deceives Mona by claiming her sister Sadie died of anorexia and that her parents are indifferent to her, gaining sympathy. Mona begins acting rebelliously under Tamsin’s influence. The girls share their first kiss under a waterfall and spend time together at Tamsin’s manor, escalating quickly into a sexual romance.

✍️ Religious Tension and Extreme Oaths

Mona and Tamsin attend Phil’s cross dedication ceremony, where Tamsin behaves in a subtly provocative way, unsettling Mona. In Sadie’s room, Tamsin discovers and consumes magic mushrooms, and they swear eternal love to each other, forming an extreme suicide pact if they should part ways.

🎭 Violence and Liberation on the Edge

Mona’s brother Phil disapproves of their relationship and responds with religious zeal, while Tamsin mocks and tempts him, escalating tension. When Phil displays violence and imprisons Mona, she escapes to reunite with Tamsin. Mona eventually discovers that much of Tamsin’s family and deceased sister stories were fabricated lies, and Tamsin plans to return to boarding school after vacation. Feeling betrayed, Mona lures Tamsin to the river, strangling her nearly to drowning before letting her go. Mona walks away alone, marking the tragic end of the illusionary 'midsummer love.'

🦋 Emotional Resonance and Significance

🎬 Pawlikowski’s Poetic Direction and Cinematography

Director Pawlikowski captures Yorkshire’s idyllic summer landscapes with a dreamlike, ethereal quality. Their secret meetings under the sunlit, sparkling water visually reflect the film’s title: sweet yet hinting at the anxiety and obsession underlying their relationship through close-ups and camera movements.

🌌 Intersection of Class, Emotion, Deception, and Truth

The film ultimately depicts the abrupt collapse of their relationship, like the end of summer. Confronted with Tamsin’s cruel truths, Mona faces reality, and her act of pushing Tamsin into the water represents despair in love and a desperate resistance to class-based deceit. By letting Tamsin go and walking away alone, Mona symbolizes personal growth and self-empowerment after experiencing a fleeting, youthful romance.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★☆