My Eternal Summer

16-year-old Fanny (Kaya Toft Loholt) has graduated lower secondary and is getting ready to move on to high school. But instead of celebrating with her peers she is spending the summer at a cottage with her parents. Fanny’s mother is terminally ill, and the family is fulfilling her wish of a final summer together. Suddenly time moves so quickly, and yet endlessly slowly while waiting for the inevitable.

The debut of Danish director Sylvia le Fanu is an understated and melancholy tale of familial relationships. Fanny tries to balance between her own youthful power and her mother’s fading strength. She struggles to accept the shifting circumstances, and the insecurity and intensity of youth fill all relationships with sharp edges. The family of three is falling apart, and Fanny cannot find her place and identity in what’s to come.

This film is a fitting portrayal of death’s absurdity. Why does the world keep turning when such a beloved person gets left behind? For the dying, time slows down and memories of the past life come flooding back. Friends and family are forced to let go, because their lives and futures are still ahead of them. At the summer house, the family is surrounded by well-used items that have now turned into a museum display of memorabilia, serving as a reminder of the good old times. Soon, however, nothing is like it used to be. Rather than opting for dramatic speeches, Le Fanu’s film conveys meaning through the unadorned presence of its characters. Time flows in the summery seaside scenery, and delicately makes space for grief.

Mirkka Maikola (translated by Adrian Murtomäki & Vilma Jounila)