That Special Summer is the director’s semi-autobiographical story set in Sweden and Finland in 1984. It is a coming-ofage film that touches upon serious topics such as the question of cultural identity and language for an immigrant family, the mother-daughter relationship, and curiosity about sex through the eyes of a mature teenage girl while portraying growing pains with humor and cheerfulness. Twelve-year-old Kirsi, who together with her mother has emigrated from Finland to Sweden, is chosen as a young reporter for a radio broadcasting station. Unfortunately, Kirsi’s dreams are shattered when her mother Ester is fired and decides to take a summer vacation in Finland. Eventually, Kirsi steals a microphone and a recorder from the broadcasting station and produces a one-person show that introduces Finland. Not being able to speak Swedish, Ester contemplates giving up a life of hardship away from home and settling in Finland again, while Kirsi has mixed feelings as seeing her mother who regains her vitality as she returns home from Sweden, where she had been miserable. While her mother feels happiness in her homeland of Finland, Kirsi is happier in Sweden where she grew up. Through a trip that she did not agree to take, Kirsi manages to break through the suffocation she feels toward Finland, which is symbolized through water. This also leads to her expanded understanding of her mother. Mia Saarinen, who plays the part of Kirsi, gives a mature performance with her adorable smile, amplifying the brightness of the beautiful imagery set forth in the summer sun of northern Europe. (CHO Hye-young)