The Summer Book

2025 • 1h 34m •

Drama

MOVIEVIBE Rating

★ 7.3/10

33 reviews

Your Rating

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.

Top Billed 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

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

B Brent Marchant Verified TMDB Critic

2026-01-18

Intergenerational stories told through books and film – especially those involving touching interactions between grandparents and grandchildren – are longtime family favorites beloved for their inspiration, endearment and exploration of significant life lessons. One popular offering in this vein is The Summer Book, a 1972 novel by Swedish-Finnish author Tove Jansson, the foundation for this latest cinematic project from director Charlie McDowell. This fictional tale, based on members of Jansson’s own family, tells the story of a recently widowed father (Anders Danielsen Lie) who spends t...