Summerland

Parents need to know that Summerland is a tender World War II drama that focuses on grief in a way that both adults and children will be able to relate to and understand. It centers on Alice (Gemma Arterton), a reclusive writer who has no interest in motherhood until she takes in a young evacuee named Frank (Lucas Bond). While the movie explores the futility and waste of war -- including the off-screen death of a parent -- it's primarily about overcoming life's setbacks. A few tense scenes take place during a London bomb raid (the upsetting aftermath is shown), the theme of death lingers, characters argue, and there's a brief example of bullying between children. Alice, who's gay, is proud of her sexual identity, even though she's sometimes nervous how others who are more conservative will perceive her as a result. Flashbacks portray her loving relationship with Vera (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who's Black, but their skin color is incidental to the story. They share a powerful chemistry, and a few scenes suggest the intimacy of their time together, but nothing really racy is shown. Language is also mild, but Alice does smoke throughout (accurate for the time period).