Director: Michael Winterbottom (The Killer Inside Me, The Shock Doctrine, A Mighty Heart)
Screenplay: Michael Winterbottom, Laurence Coriat
Producers: Andrew Eaton, Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Colin Firth, Perla Haney-Jardine, Willa Holland, Catherine Keener, Hope Davis
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 94 min.

(3.5/5)

I’ve never quite understood the deal with Michael Winterbottom. He has a fantastic filmography though whenever I hear mention of the director, it’s usually in speaking of one or two films. It’s a little disheartening considering how many great films he has to offer not to mention that the lack of attention usually means a few of his films get lost in the shuffle. I remember my surprise when, nearly ten years after its release, I stumbled onto The Claim and it looks like a similar fate was going to be dealt to A Summer in Genoa.

Originally known as simply Genova, this 2008 film is only know seeing life on DVD in North America. In this case, the lag has nothing to do with film quality because the film features Winterbottom at his best.

A Summer in Genoa stars Colin Firth (pre-Oscar win) as Joe, a professor who after the tragic death of his wife (Hope Davis), moves with his two daughters to Genoa where Barbara (Catherine Keener), a long time friend, has helped him with a job placement teaching English Literature at the university. With only a few months separating their mother’s death and the move to a new city, the girls are still emotionally raw. They are children dealing with the trauma by simply moving away from it but it’s not enough and their arrival in a new, unfamiliar place makes a significant impact on their lives. Mary, the youngest of the two girls, feels responsible for her mother’s death and begins to see her mother’s ghost while Kelly rebels by discover and exercising her sexuality. As the summer progresses, the girls, particularly Kelly, become more difficult to manage until a series of events culminates in the coming together of the family and a sort of awakening and reconnection with each other.

Winterbottom’s story of finding one’s way after a tragedy is touching and beautiful. What I love most about A Summer in Genoa is its authenticity and the way in which this family eventually comes together after floundering and trying to find their footing alone. It’s a realization that comes slowly and Winterbottom captures the unravelling and realization beautifully with a story that mirrors the meandering through the streets and neighbourhoods of Genoa.

Though both Firth and Keener provide great performances, the lens is turned mostly to the young girls, particularly Kelly who is beautifully captured by Willa Holland as a young woman who initially basks in the male attention only to realize that the young man she is with isn’t so much interested in her as a person but sees her as an accessory. It’s a startling realization and the look of disappointment and then determination when he refuses to drive Kelly into the city to pick-up her sister is heartbreaking.

I really enjoyed the meandering nature of A Summer in Genoa which basks in the beautiful and haunting streets and lets the characters develop organically in what seems to be a very loose way. It’s a film of moments and emotions evoked by small actions and setting. Some may be put off by the film’s abrupt ending, in fact it ends just when it needs to having captured the return to the family unit, but others will appreciate and bask in the feeling of fulfillment as the end credits roll.

A Summer in Genova is available on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 12th.

DVD Extras: Not too many extras on the disc. Included are a number of cast and crew interviews along with a collection of behind the scenes footage.