My Summer of Love

My Summer of Love, from 2004, doesn't precisely fit in the category of British miserabilism, given that the writer and director, Pavel Pawlikowski, is Polish, not British. But the film does have a British cast and setting, and the overall tone is misery.

Mona (Natalie Press), is a young woman who lives in the upstairs of a pub. She is an odd duck, and as the film opens she draws on the wall of her bedroom and rides around a scooter that has no motor. Her brother (Paddy Considine) is an ex-con who has found Jesus, gets rid of the liquor in the pub and plans to turn it into a spiritual center.

Press meets Tamsin (Emily Blunt), a bored rich girl who has been suspended from school. Despite their different backgrounds, they form a friendship that develops into love. Press is eager to leave behind her hum-drum world and her overbearing brother, and Blunt seems to be the ticket out. But Blunt may be crazier than she lets on.

The film has a nice relaxed feel to it. It's a quiet film, with not too much tumult, which makes the dramatic events stand out stronger. It won't be seen at any church groups--the script suggests that religious fundamentalism is inherently crazy.

Blunt, who has gone to bigger and better things, is fine, but Press is really outstanding, a wispy girl with red hair and a glint of mischief in her eye.