Sommerparadies (1991)

Sommerparadies: Directed by Mary Agnes Donoghue. With Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson, Elijah Wood, Thora Birch. Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson (at the time married to each other) play Lily and Ben Reed, a young couple torn apart by a family tragedy. It would take a miracle to rekindle their love and a miracle arrives in the form of a summer guest – Willard Young played by Elijah Wood.

“Life is not always pretty. Neither is unresolved grief. But innocence is always beautiful. A couple in a small town lose their only child to a tragic accident. This sensitive motion picture deals with how the human soul reacts to personal loss and how it changes lives. The kind of movie you want to own so you can revisit it from time to time since its theme touches us all deeply. The scenery is gorgeous, the town is small and peaceful. The characters are meaningful and real. Unspoken bonds run deep throughout. A heartfelt film that captures our yearning for a father. This is a soul changing journey for a childless man who never got to be one. At first indifferent and angry, he inadvertently discovers something which he thought he might never experience, through the inescapable and magical innocence of a visiting young boy who seems to somehow understand his plight. Both he and his wife find themselves confronted in a way that changes them forever. This film is a forgotten gem.”