• Release year: 2024
• Director: Sylvia Le Fanu.
• Producer: Jeppe Wowk.
• Screenplay by: Mads Lind Knudsen and Sylvia Le Fanu.
• Cinematography by: Jan Bastian Muñoz Marthinsen.
• Music by: Patricio Pock-Steen Fraile.

Shotgun Commentary: innocuous drama.

Review

My Eternal Summer is a film that explores loss during puberty. Despite being marketed as a bittersweet drama in which a family is on holiday knowing it will be the mother’s last summer, the feature is essentially centred around the teenage daughter of the couple. The parents are there as mere catalysts for her evolution.

Wrong focus

While it is fun to see how they break the pattern with a man being the crutch for the development of a female character, the movie is still a coming-of-age film during a period of grief. This theme is also explored in another movie that came out this year, When the Light Breaks (2024). Sadly, the existence of this film only highlights the setbacks of My Eternal Summer.

As previously mentioned, the feature is centred around Fanny (Kaya Toft Loholt), a teen who is about to begin university after the summer and who also has to deal with her mother being at the doors of death the whole season. Their family holidays feel anything but peaceful due to the looming sensation of doom that befalls the three members of the family.

Fanny acts up as much as she can as a way to cope with the loss of her mother. She tries to detach herself and to occupy her time with pointless drama and a summer job. Her arguments with her dad begin as a logical, albeit, hurtful, way to deal with the tragic situation. Sadly, they become steadily more and more unrealistic and absurd, to the point where they look more like a way to fill time than an actual moment that will enrich the narrative.

Too much, too little

Most of the film looks slowed down. The scenes are paused and contemplative, which works at times, but only drags on the narrative in most cases, making it painfully clear that the text doesn’t have enough depth to support that pace. As for the cinematography, it is adequate, but nothing to write home about. The colour palettes scream summer, and the point of view sometimes offers curious shots due to its perspective.

The main reason why the film doesn’t pack a punch despite the great premise is the choice of protagonist. If the mother’s situation is the core of the story, she should be the one to follow, especially when the alternative is a teenager doing cliché teenager stuff. Her mother has an infuriatingly small amount of screen time, yet her emotional journey is a lot more interesting than Fanny’s. In fact, even the father, who is mostly there as a decoration, is more compelling than Fanny.

Aside from the text, the other probable cause for the dreadfully underutilised premise is the acting. Loholt is about as expressive as a cardboard. It might be her short experience, or maybe it is an off project, but if all her performances are like this, it might be time to look into other career choices.

Curiously enough, her bad acting isn’t due to an excess of expression, an issue that befalls many young performers. In her case, it is the complete opposite. The result is like watching a blond, insecure, egocentric Wednesday (Wednesday, 2022 – present) that doesn’t seem to care about her mother’s death as long as it doesn’t trump with her social life. Even Fanny’s outbursts feel dull. They are the perfect chance for Loholt to shine, and still Fanny’s father doing nothing steals the show.

All in all, My Eternal Summer had a great idea but didn’t know what to make of it. The story is compelling at times, but not enough to justify its runtime. The pace is unnecessarily slow, and the conversations more forgettable by the minute. The protagonist doesn’t work for the story. Instead, it sabotages the whole narrative with her predictable behaviour and the restrained performance of the actress that brings her to life. Not gonna lie, fascinating is not among the adjectives one would use to describe it.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Careful who your protagonist is, they might not be as compelling as you hope for.
• If your relative is about to die, maybe don’t treat them like they are contagious and show a bit of love?
• Throwing tantrums won’t help you feel better, talking about the problem will.

What’s your take? Have you watched My Eternal Summer? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀