though the film, surprisingly, concludes on a hopeful note, it indulges every dour cliche along the way, which, when paired with Swale's drab direction, effectively saps the energy out of its many demonstrative moments of sorrow
thanks in large part to Gemma Arterton's beautifully nuanced portrayal of this wounded soul, "Summerland" is a touching feel-good story about finding love and healing
Gemma Arterton triumphs again and Jessica Swale marks herself as a director to watch. "Summerland" successfully combines an intelligent feminist fable and a lesbian love story with a slick period tearjerker
female-focused wartime drama starring Gemma Arterton, combining interesting ideas with familiarity; It's a film that wants you to cling to it like a comfort blanket, and may find plenty of takers at this time
a predictable but utterly sweet british period drama; Between its familiar story and genuine performances, "Summerland" is occasionally hindered by melodrama, but is overall a very sweet film
"Summerland", while it's an original screenplay, has the feel of sentimental historical fiction, the kind of decorous novel that's a dime a dozen as Brit TV miniseries material