Adapted by Jonathan Smith from his own novel, with some occasionally very effective scripting, this period drama set in an artists' community on the Cornwall coast wavers between a reasonable dissection of art and the artist A.J. Munnings and a relentlessly predictable love triangle, playing like an inverted and relocated D.H. Lawrence novel. Emily Browning gives mercifully increasing life to Florence and her dilemma, torn between two stereotypically-drawn men: Dominic Cooper as slightly libertine Munnings (he smokes! he knows crude limericks!) gives another well-defined character performance, and Dan Stevens as the emotionally-restrained army man does not stray too far from his Downton persona but creates occasional depth. The film uses stunning locations, it is technically well-made and the period settings and detail are very well realised, but the pace is lethargic and some of the narrative and character leaps feel rather quick, convenient and too melodramatic. If you are a fan of this style of earnest and languorous period drama, Summer In February will play very well.
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