Summerland * * * *

So this is two films in a row that I have seen that were set in WWII.  Bombings, rations, mayhem, genocide and misery, it doesn't get much better than that.  Actually this film has hardly any of those things.

I think the last time I saw Gemma Aterton was in another  WW11 story too.  GA seems to be in possession of a natural forties glamour.  Nevertheless, in this film she mostly has to dress down.  She convincingly plays the role of an isolated writer.  She is an anti social person living in a cottage.  She writes about folklore.  The local children have come to regard her as a witch. Some of the local adults feel that way about her too. 

One bad word Flip and I'll put a curse on ye!

When she is told she has to accept a child that has been evacuated from London she is not impressed. The poor young lad who has to live with her isn't too happy about it either. 

Predictably, they come to appreciate one another - and then a backstory develops about a relationship she had years earlier.  It's not hard to join the dots after that, so when the great reveal comes you feel like you've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for it to arrive. 

Nevertheless, this is a beautifully woven story. I was greatly impressed by the way the story referred to different supporting elements, from paganism, prejudice, fate and faith.  Nothing seemed to be glued on, or attached as an afterthought or an embellishment, even when it ventured into the supernatural it left doors open for logical explanation.  It's a very tight piece of writing.  Finely acted and beautifully shot too.