After an initial mention last year, finally some good news from the USA: Robert Jones’s adaptation of Tove Jansson’s novel Sommarboken (The Summer Book) is released in cinemas in New York and Chicago today with a nationwide US rollout in arts cinemas across the next couple of weeks. This follows a world premiere in October 2024 at BFI London Film Festival and a successful Scandinavian release last spring. The film, shot entirely on an isle in the Gulf of Finland, captures Jansson’s timeless sense of nature and place and focusses on the relationship between a grandmother (played by Glenn Close) and her nine-year-old granddaughter, Sophia (played by newcomer Emily Matthews).
In a post on Nordisk Film & TV Fond the Finnish producer of the film, Aleksi Bardy, shares his thoughts about the challenges of transferring the book to the screen.
In advance of the film reaching UK shores, you can view a trailer here.
The Summer Book
duration 95 minutes
production 2024
US release 19.09.2025
country USA, Finland, UK
director Charlie McDowell
writers Robert Jones, Tove Jansson
featuring Glenn Close, Anders Danielsen Lie, Emily Matthews