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Charlie McDowell adapts Tove Jansson’s beloved novel The Summer Book into a film, starring Glenn Close as a lively grandmother. Set on a remote Finnish island, the story explores themes of love, grief, nature, and the bond between generations.

American director Charlie McDowell got the idea to adapt The Summer Book, the novel by Finnish author Tove Jansson, for the screen during the height of the COVID pandemic. He wanted to highlight what truly matters in life: love, grief, aging, and nature. 

This book, a classic of international literature, was published in 1972 and tells the story of a young girl, Sophie, who has just lost her mother and spends the summer with her grandmother and father on a wild island in the Gulf of Finland. 

The grandmother, enthusiastic, mischievous, and on the verge of dying, is played by American actress Glenn Close in the film. 

Together, they live in a rustic cabin, growing closer as they explore their idyllic surroundings and discuss life. 

Charlie McDowell rediscovered this book during the pandemic. “I found it to be a beautiful representation of people’s place in nature and their connections to one another and their environment,” he explained to AFP. 

“I wanted to make a film that reminds us to look at what’s in front of us when we lift our heads from our tablets and screens,” the director continued. 

The film was scheduled for a Saturday premiere at the London Film Festival. 

Rustic Cabin

Charlie McDowell, known for his film The One I Love (2014) and married to Lily Collins, star of the series Emily in Paris, admits he was “intimidated” by the idea of adapting such a beloved novel. 

He was convinced Glenn Close would be perfect for the role of the grandmother, to the point that he told the Hollywood star the movie wouldn’t happen without her. 

The actress fully immersed herself in the shoot, which took place on an isolated Finnish island. She even insisted on living in the rustic cabin built for the set. 

“She said, ‘I just want to be here; I feel very connected to this place,’” recalls Charlie McDowell. 

Famous for the Moomins series, featuring small hippo-like creatures first published in 1945, Tove Jansson also wrote ten novels and short stories for adults, including *The Summer Book*. It was said to be her favorite. 

The author, who passed away in 2001, spent part of her life on an island like the one described in the book. The character of Sophie was inspired by her niece, Sophia Jansson. 

The family is “extremely happy” with the film adaptation, Sophia Jansson told AFP. 

Sophia Jansson, president of Moomin Characters Ltd, the official body managing the Moomins’ copyright, advised Charlie McDowell throughout the adaptation process. 

“This is not an easy book to adapt (…). Bringing it to the big screen is simply incredible,” she remarked. 

For the author’s niece, the “real beauty” of the book lies in the “very irreverent relationship” between the girl and her grandmother. 

“They tackle important themes… which are just as significant for Sophie as they are for the grandmother,” she commented. “There is death in the background, but it is a life-affirming book,” said Sophia. 

With AFP