Summer and the Fall

Author(s): Justin
Location: New York

“Summer and the Fall"

Directed by Todd Field
Written by John Irving
Music by Rachel Portman

Drama

Principal Cast:

Julia Stiles (Summer)
Orlando Bloom (Owen)
Helen Mirren (Miranda)
Patrick Malahide (Tony)
Oliver James (Raymond)

Tagline: “One season. The rest of their lives"

Synopsis: When Summer (Stiles), the perfect student, gets consumed by depression, she goes to counseling, and meets and falls for Owen (Bloom), a free-spirited photographer who takes her around Europe for the best summer of her life. Finally, she finds a reason to keep going. In the fall, when Owen commits suicide, she tries to give and draw hope from the family he had left behind. Set in contemporary London, this simple story speaks of the never-ending struggle for hope.

What the press would say:

"Summer and the Fall" is one of those independent films the general public usually ignores. At first it appears grim and tragic, but it speaks of the reality of a person's moments of despair. Julia Stiles, with an excellent British accent, does well in her portrayal the perfect yet beautifully broken Summer. Helen Mirren does a good job as always, as Miranda, Owen's divorced mother, who has almost given up on life. But the most notable performance actually comes from Orlando Bloom, who breaks out from his blockbuster roles, and into a complex, free-spirited yet internally broken character. Oliver James plays Raymond, Owen's gay teenage brother, and Patrick Malahide takes the role of Tony, Summer's distant father. The film may have slim chances of being nominated for Best Picture, but the performances, especially of Bloom's and Stiles's, are Oscar-worthy. An early campaign is gunning for these nods:

Best Picture
Best Original Screenplay: John Irving
Best Actress: Julia Stiles
Best Actor: Orlando Bloom
Best Supporting Actress: Helen Mirren