What’s it about? Adapting from his own novel, Jonathan Smith brings us the story of the real-life love triangle between land agent and war veteran Gilbert Evans and celebrated artist AJ Munnings who both happen to fall for aspiring artist Florence Carter-Wood.
The problem for the two men – who are best friends – is that when Florence does accept a proposal, she hasn’t necessarily said yes to the right man causing a lot of heartbreak along the way.
Verdict: Based on a true story, this love triangle from the life of famed painter Sir Alfred Munnings sounds much more exciting on paper than how it translates to screen.
Despite truly gorgeous shots of the beautiful Cornish landscape, the slow moving pace of the film makes the lack of actual passion far too evident.
For Daniel Stevens, this jump from Downton Abbey to the world of film is just a small hop as we see him playing a character similar to the Cousin Matthew role that helped him gain fame.
Emily Browning does her best with what is simply an underwritten character, while Dominic Cooper seems to revel in the task of bringing AJ Munnings to life.
While some might hope for a soppy romantic tale, the story has some surprising twists and turns that stop the film from being a predictable watch.
Final word: The cast do their best to share this real-life tragedy with the audience but unfortunately there’s something lacking in this sad but forgettable tale.
Summer In February is out on DVD from 14 October 2013.
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