The Summer Book (2025)
The Summer Book (2025), directed by Charlie McDowell, starring Glenn Close and Anders Danielsen Lie.
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Synopsis
The story of the relationship between Sophia, an eight-year-old girl who is growing up fast, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. They are spending time together with Sophia’s father, at the family summer house on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland. All three are coming to terms with the recent death of Sophia’s mother in very different ways.
- Sturla Brandth GrøvlenCinematography
- Charlie McDowellDirector, Producer
- Jussi RautaniemiEditing
- Aleksi BardyProducer
About the film
The Summer Book is a 2024 drama film directed by Charlie McDowell, written by Robert Jones, and starring Glenn Close, Emily Matthews, and Anders Danielsen Lie. It is based on Tove Jansson's 1972 novel of the same title. A co-production of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Finland, the film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on 12 October 2024.
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The Summer Book is a 2024 drama film directed by Charlie McDowell, written by Robert Jones, and starring Glenn Close, Emily Matthews, and Anders Danielsen Lie. It is based on Tove Jansson's 1972 novel of the same title. A co-production of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Finland, the film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on 12 October 2024.
Premise
Sophia spends the summer with her father and grandmother on a small island in the Gulf of Finland, as the family grapples with the recent death of Sophia's mother.
Cast
Glenn Close as Grandmother
Emily Matthews as Sophia
Anders Danielsen Lie as Father
Ingvar Sigurdsson as Eriksson
Pekka Strang as Mr. Malander
Sophia Heikkilä as Mrs. Malander
Production
In March 2023, it was announced that Close and Lie were cast in the film. The film was shot in the summer of 2023 in Finland, in the archipelagos of Kotka, Porvoo and Espoo located in the Gulf of Finland.
In July that same year, it was announced that the filmmakers were granted an interim agreement by SAG-AFTRA to allow production to occur since the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike was occurring at the time.
Release
The Summer Book premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on 12 October 2024. The North American theatrical debut was at the AFI Fest on 27 October 2024 in Hollywood, California. The DVD, distributed by Music Box Films, has audio and subtitles in English only.
Its distribution rights in the Nordic countries are held by SF Studios, which is set to release it in Finland on 31 January 2025.
The Summer Book was one of 15 films shortlisted out of 1,794 feature film submissions for the Tiantan Award as part of official selection of the Beijing International Film Festival.
The Summer Book premiered in cinemas in Jansson's native Finland on January 31, 2025, and was the number one film at the Finnish box office during its opening weekend. By March, film tickets in the country had surpassed 100,000. In July 2025, Music Box Films acquired US distribution rights to the film, and released it on September 19, 2025.
Reception
The Summer Book holds an 83% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 40 critic reviews. Critics have called the film "light in story but heavy in mood" and an "evocative drama that finds life in death and death in life", while also describing it as "infinitely gentle" and "an appealing throwback to old-fashioned family dramas of a more innocent era."
Glenn Close's performance has received particular acclaim. IndieWire described Close as "the film's secret weapon" while The Hollywood Reporter praised her "finely etched characterization" and Variety noted that, "attentive to characterful details of accent and posture, Close plays this tender-tough old bird beautifully."
References
External links
The Summer Book at AllMovie
The Summer Book at IMDb
The Summer Book at Rotten Tomatoes
The Summer Book at Metacritic
Text from The Summer Book (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summer_Book_(film)
Trivia
- The production budget was US$ 5.0 million.
- It premiered on January 31, 2025, a Friday.
- It runs 1h30 — a typical feature length.
- As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Filmelier Plus Amazon Channel.
- This film's quiz has 14 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosFree Range Films, Case Study Films, Stille Productions, High Frequency Entertainment, Hurst Capital, Helsinki-filmi, Craig Stilley Productions
- CountriesFinland, United Kingdom, United States
- LanguagesEnglish
- BudgetUS$ 5,000,000
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Based on
- The Summer Book
Filming locations
- Kotka
- Porvoo
- Espoo
Where to watch
Videos
Cast
-
Glenn Close
Grandmother -
Anders Danielsen Lie
Father - Emily Matthews Sophia
-
Ingvar E. Sigurðsson
Eriksson -
Pekka Strang
Mr. Malander -
Sophia Heikkilä
Mrs. Malander - Theo Zilliacus Tofer
Quiz about this movie
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Tags
Crew
- Sturla Brandth Grøvlen Cinematography
- Charlie McDowell Director
- Jussi Rautaniemi Editing
- Aleksi Bardy Producer
- Alex Orlovsky Producer
- Andrea Berentsen Ottmar Producer
- Charlie McDowell Producer
- Duncan Montgomery Producer
- Dyveke Bjørkly Graver Producer
- Glenn Close Producer
- Helen Vinogradov Producer
- Kath Mattock Producer
- Kevin Loader Producer
- Hania Rani Original music
- Robert Jones Writer
Questions about this film
What is The Summer Book about?
The Summer Book: The story of the relationship between Sophia, an eight-year-old girl who is growing up fast, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. They are spending time together with Sophia’s father, at the family summer house on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland. All three are coming to terms with th…
Who directed The Summer Book?
The Summer Book was directed by Charlie McDowell in 2025.
Who stars in The Summer Book?
The cast of The Summer Book includes Glenn Close, Anders Danielsen Lie, Emily Matthews, Ingvar E. Sigurðsson and Pekka Strang.
How long is The Summer Book?
The Summer Book runs for 90 minutes, or 1h30.
Where can I watch The Summer Book?
The Summer Book is available on Filmelier Plus Amazon Channel, Apple TV Store and Amazon Video. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.
What is The Summer Book based on?
The Summer Book is based on The Summer Book.
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Page updated on 09/11/2026.
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