I was prepared to love this film because I really like Gemma Arterton and I love English films, in particular ones related to WWII and that time period. But alas, it wasn't to be. A couple of things got in the way of it being really great, the first of which was the relationship between Alice and Vera. Shown in flashback snippets, they seemed to me artificial, contrived, and unbelievable. Perhaps it should have been done differently? For example, without flashbacks but chronologically. Then when Alice learned that David's mother was Vera: another thing that to me was unbelievable. And, finally, the use of different actors to play Alice and Vera when they were older. This didn't work at all for me. In fact, it seemed ridiculous. Why didn't the director, or whoever decides these things, have Gemma and GuGu be made up to look older? That would have worked so much better.
I did give it a 7 indicating there were good things about Summerland. It's a sweet or bittersweet story. The relationship between Alice and David is touching - and believable, and both of these actors were excellent. There are beautiful shots of the coastline and the rolling hills in the English countryside. And, I enjoyed the character of Alice: a rebellious individualist and writer. Overall, I'd say it's worth seeing.
I did give it a 7 indicating there were good things about Summerland. It's a sweet or bittersweet story. The relationship between Alice and David is touching - and believable, and both of these actors were excellent. There are beautiful shots of the coastline and the rolling hills in the English countryside. And, I enjoyed the character of Alice: a rebellious individualist and writer. Overall, I'd say it's worth seeing.