Summer In February (2013)

Rating: 2.5/5

Summer In February's trailer, most unfortunately, made the film out to be better than it actually is. It told us of the troubled relationship of renowned artist Alfred Munnings, and it looked exciting, dramatic and well made. I was right about the well made. But it offered very little in terms of excitement, drama, or in fact solid plot lines.

Dominic Cooper stars as a young 'AJ' Munnings, living in a community of budding artists in early 20th century Cornwall. He is vibrant, spontaneous and recites long poems by heart. His friend Joey's sister Florence (Emily Browning) arrives one night during one of the gang's fiesty, poetic parties. Two men instantly take a fancy to her: Munnings, and his loyal military friend Gilbert.

Each quickly develops a scattered relationship with Florence, who looks on uncomfortably as nude women pose for portraits. Neither of these relationships is given much detail, and they jump from stage to stage, without any drama in between to explain how they got there. Gilbert is planning to propose to her one night, but AJ swoons in, and literally steals her away: he and Florence are soon engaged, and so begins the downfall.

AJ begins as Florence's supposed art tutor, but she spends all her time posing as 'one of his women,' for a painting she comes to detest. The frictions between them, and his incessant discouragement of her artistic flare, drive her to drink cyanide during their wedding reception. She longs for Gilbert, who so quickly missed his chance, and she endures - for a while - an abusive and unhappy marriage.

The sad thing is, this is a great story. It sounds inviting as you read it. But on the screen, it plays out very tediously. The odd moments of real drama are brief, making little use of the cast's obvious talent. The finished product seems rushed: the screenplay misses out big chunks of what I imagine to be important stuff, but even at its 100 minute running time, it is mostly boring. I'm not sure that including any extra material could have redeemed it.

Narrative is rather skeletal. Consider, for example, a brief nude scene by Emily Browning. Clearly the former child actress, as many others do, wanted to break into more adult roles, and she certainly does it successfully. But glorious as it is, the scene doesn't fit - nor do many others - because there is little context for it. It is perhaps hinted that Florence feels insecure around the much more voluptuous Dolly, but her character is given such little opportunity to expand, that the scene appears random.

The visuals of Summer In February are splendid. The unmistakable Cornish scenery is ever-present, offering beautiful skies, tall green cliffs, and the sounds of breeze that you could only hear near the ocean. Similarly, set and costume design is beautiful.

This is not a bad movie: there are many decent components, like the aforementioned actors and visuals. For a loosely strung romantic drama, it is good enough. For a movie about art, I was expecting a little more dialogue on the subject. But AJ has it right - Florence's porcelain features were destined for the canvas.