The story of the relationship between Sophia, an eight-year-old girl who is growing up fast, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. They are spending time together with Sophia’s father, at the family summer house on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland. All three are coming to terms with the recent death of Sophia’s mother in very different ways.
Acting
Close's final-act stillness deserves every award.
Cinematography
The island becomes a character—harsh, beautiful, indifferent.
Direction
McDowell lets silence do the heavy lifting.
Director
Charlie McDowell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tove Jansson's 1972 novel was semi-autobiographical; she wrote it after her own mother's death.
The Finnish archipelago setting reflects Jansson's real summer home on Klovharun island, now a museum.
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