The Summer BookPG

Directed by Charlie McDowell | Finland/UK/USA | 2024 | 1h 35m | Starring Glenn Close, Anders Danielsen Lie, Emily Matthews, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Sophia Heikkilä

Eight-year-old Sophia spends the summer with her father and grandmother on her family’s island in Finland’s Gulf, learning about the natural world around her. All three are grieving the recent death of Sophia’s mother, each in their own way. Directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Glenn Close, this drama is based on Tove Jansson’s novel and follows the quiet rhythms of a family coming to terms with loss.

Reviews

‘It is a haiku of a movie, conveying profound thoughts about time, memory, loss, and nature through a simplified, meditative, cinematic language of exquisite images and gentle music.’
★★★★ Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com

‘Attentive to characterful details of accent and posture, Close plays this tender-tough old bird beautifully, resisting twinkly sentimentality while maintaining a palpably affectionate rapport with Matthews.’
Guy Lodge, Variety

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Summer Book between August 14, 2026 and September 3, 2026.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Today (Friday 23rd October)
Find out more

15:30

The Lost Children of Tuam 12A
1h 24m
Amateur historian Catherine Corless investigates a former home for unmarried mothers and their children in rural Ireland, and won't stop, even when it pits her against Church, State and town. Monica Dolan stars in this gripping true story.

Book here

Find out more

17:45

Digger 15
2h 9m
The most powerful man in the world is in a frantic race to prove he's humanity's saviour before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything. Tom Cruise heads up an all-star cast in Oscar-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu's sharp comic satire.

Book here

Find out more

20:45

Possession 18
2h 7m
Her-steria Horror Classics
Anna (Isabelle Adjani) leaves her family without explanation. Her husband (Sam Neill) hunts for the truth, uncovering something far stranger than an affair. Andrzej Żuławski's psychological horror won Adjani the best actress award at Cannes and became a cult classic.

Book here


Tomorrow (Saturday 24th October)
Find out more

14:00

Hope 15
2h 37m | Korean w/ English subtitles
Police investigate a mysterious creature terrorising the South Korean village of Hope Harbor. Cut off and without backup, it's down to hunters, hapless cops and locals to stop it. A thrilling sci-fi creature-feature from Na Hong-jin (The Wailing).

Book here

Find out more

17:30

Anyone Can Play Guitar 12A
1h 40m
Narrated by Stewart Lee and featuring exclusive interviews with Radiohead, Foals, Supergrass, Ride and Swervedriver, Anyone Can Play Guitar tells the unheard stories of Oxford's music scene. Screening followed by a conversation with director Jon Spira.

Book here

Find out more

20:30

Digger 15
2h 9m
The most powerful man in the world is in a frantic race to prove he's humanity's saviour before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything. Tom Cruise heads up an all-star cast in Oscar-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu's sharp comic satire.

Book here


See all upcoming films

Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

Find out more