My Summer of Love (2004)

In the Yorkshire countryside, working-class tomboy Mona meets the exotic, pampered Tamsin. Over the summer season, the two young women discover they have much to teach one another, and much to explore together.

Director:

Pawel Pawlikowski

Writers:

Helen Cross (novel), Pawel Pawlikowski

Stars:

Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine

9 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Natalie Press	...	Mona
Emily Blunt	...	Tamsin
Paddy Considine	...	Phil
Dean Andrews	...	Ricky
Michelle Byrne	...	Ricky's Wife
Paul Antony-Barber	...	Tamsin's Father
Lynette Edwards	...	Tamsin's Mother
Kathryn Sumner	...	Sadie

Storyline

A tale of obsession and deception, and the struggle for love and faith in a world where both seem impossible. The film charts the emotional and physical hothouse effects that bloom one summer for two young women: Mona, behind a spiky exterior, hides an untapped intelligence and a yearning for something beyond the emptiness of her daily life; Tamsin is well-educated, spoiled and cynical. Complete opposites, each is wary of the other's differences when they first meet, but this coolness soon melts into mutual fascination, amusement and attraction. Adding volatility is Mona's older brother Phil, who has renounced his criminal past for religious fervor - which he tries to impose upon his sister. Mona, however, is experiencing her own rapture. "We must never be parted," Tamsin intones to Mona but can Mona completely trust her?

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian relationship | female frontal nudity | lesbian kiss | lesbian | summer | 

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Taglines:

The most dangerous thing to want is more.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, language and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [UK] Official site [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mi verano de amor

Filming Locations:

Cornholme, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£1,700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$90,022, 19 June 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$992,238, 7 August 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apocalypso Pictures,The Film Consortium,BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A lot of scenes and dialogue were improvised whilst shooting, with a lot of participation from the actors. The scene in which Mona draws a portrait of Tamsin on the wall of her room was entirely improvised - during Pawlikowski's traveling together with Press, he discovered that she used to do a lot of drawing while she was thinking, so he decided to integrate it into the movie and made a scene out of it.

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Quotes

Phil: Why you always trying to hurt me?
Mona: Cause I think you're a fucking fake, that's why.

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Connections

Featured in 2006 Glitter Awards (2006)

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Soundtracks

Hare Krishna Hare Ram
Written and Performed by Anand Bakshi and B.D. Burman (as R D Burman)
Published by Extreme Music
Licensed courtesy of MCPS

User Reviews

Intriguing surprise

First of all, the young leads Nathalie Press and Emily Blunt acted superbly; these newcomers are really stunning for the way they movingly played this character drama, showing every sort of emotion a human being may feel. "My summer of love" is not only a lesbian love affair between two needy and sexy teens, set in a beautiful countryside, but it's also a thoughtful portrayal of friendship, deception and obsession. In spite of a story starting as an erotic drama it finally turns into a suspenseful and powerful situation. Last but not least Paddy Considine is also up to the film brightness, rendering a man whose redemption seems to slowly fade.