Knowing this will be her terminally ill mother’s last summer with them, teenager Fanny spends her summer with her family, as she gradually comes to terms with the future. Playing in the Official Competition – First Feature section of the London Film Festival 2024.
A Danish summer house in the long, bright months is the location for My Eternal Summer, Sylvia Le Fanu’s first feature which is in competition in that section of the London Film Festival.
Fifteen-year-old Fanny (Kaya Toft Loholt) is spending the summer in the peaceful surroundings of the family’s summer house with her parents Johan (Anders Mossling) and Karin (Maria Rossing). But despite the idyllic days, the family is preparing itself for Karin’s terminal illness to take its toll, and in the knowledge that this will be Karin’s last summer.
Under such extreme pressure, very few people know how they are going to react, and which emotions will hit them when. My Eternal Summer’s strength is in how itdeals with this aspect of serious illness. Told through the eyes of a teenager, life is already confusing and intense. Fanny’s relationship with her boyfriend is bumpy, she’s bored away from her friends, and of course, she’s frightened of what is happening to her mother. Her father seems wrapped up in his books or looking after Karin, and both father and daughter struggle to communicate their feelings to each other.
Interestingly, Karin’s voice and feelings are largely absent from a huge chunk of the film, and I think this is deliberate. She’s not quite reduced to being a symbol of her illness, but she is also too weak to impose herself. When we do hear from her towards the end, it’s like the missing piece of a puzzle.
My Eternal Summer does feel like it could have been around 15 minutes shorter, and there were a couple of moments where the level of natural light (used throughout the film) meant that it was impossible to see what was happening, but nevertheless it’s a solid debut from Sylvia Le Fanu. Please make sure you can cope with the content, however, as it could be triggering for some.
My Eternal Summer plays in the Official Competition – First Feature section of the London Film Festival 2024.
Knowing this will be her terminally ill mother’s last summer with them, teenager Fanny spends her summer with her family, as she gradually comes to terms with the future. Playing in the Official Competition – First Feature section of the London Film Festival 2024.
A Danish summer house in the long, bright months is the location for My Eternal Summer, Sylvia Le Fanu’s first feature which is in competition in that section of the London Film Festival.
Fifteen-year-old Fanny (Kaya Toft Loholt) is spending the summer in the peaceful surroundings of the family’s summer house with her parents Johan (Anders Mossling) and Karin (Maria Rossing). But despite the idyllic days, the family is preparing itself for Karin’s terminal illness to take its toll, and in the knowledge that this will be Karin’s last summer.
Under such extreme pressure, very few people know how they are going to react, and which emotions will hit them when. My Eternal Summer’s strength is in how it deals with this aspect of serious illness. Told through the eyes of a teenager, life is already confusing and intense. Fanny’s relationship with her boyfriend is bumpy, she’s bored away from her friends, and of course, she’s frightened of what is happening to her mother. Her father seems wrapped up in his books or looking after Karin, and both father and daughter struggle to communicate their feelings to each other.
Interestingly, Karin’s voice and feelings are largely absent from a huge chunk of the film, and I think this is deliberate. She’s not quite reduced to being a symbol of her illness, but she is also too weak to impose herself. When we do hear from her towards the end, it’s like the missing piece of a puzzle.
My Eternal Summer does feel like it could have been around 15 minutes shorter, and there were a couple of moments where the level of natural light (used throughout the film) meant that it was impossible to see what was happening, but nevertheless it’s a solid debut from Sylvia Le Fanu. Please make sure you can cope with the content, however, as it could be triggering for some.
My Eternal Summer plays in the Official Competition – First Feature section of the London Film Festival 2024.
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