I caught this film at Bear Tooth in 2005 and really enjoyed it at the time but didn’t remember much about it. At some point I found a DVD copy for cheap and bought it, more as a memento to the occasion when I first saw it than because I intended to watch it again. I was surprised when I randomly pulled it out of my stack of films yesterday to see that it starred Emily Blunt, who I think is quite fabulous.

I always find it interesting when you stumble upon a film that connects to your childhood unexpectedly. In the first few minutes of this second viewing of MY SUMMER OF LOVE, I remembered the religious theme that sets up one of the major conflicts in the film. When I drop in a movie like JESUS CAMP, I know to expect scenes and music that remind me of my pentecostal christian upbringing. That aspect of this film, however, snuck up on me the first time and continued to weird me out this time through. It’s portrayal of that particular type of religion that I know far too well makes it difficult for me to be objective about the story because I immediately relate so fully to Natalie Press’ character. From my perspective, as subjective as it is, I think there is so much truth in these characters and the way they interact with each other as well as the portrayal of the impact of a religious conversion that results in borderline fanaticism.

Finally, I would be remiss to even attempt to say anything about this movie without mentioning how gorgeous Emily Blunt is.