Review of In the Summers - Surviving Imperfect Parents

In a personal and warm portrayal, director Alessandra Lacorazza debuts with a film that explores survival with imperfect parents, co-starring actor and composer René Pérez (Residente). Available on streaming platforms, In the Summers transcends language, as the director notes at the film’s start. She explains that the movie includes both English and Spanish dialogues without subtitles, encouraging the audience to connect through the universal language of emotions.

In the Summers delves into the complex and unbreakable relationships between parents and children, capturing the journey toward adulthood.

Violeta and Eva are two sisters of divorced parents who travel to New Mexico every summer to spend time with their father. They enjoy the season swimming and playing, while taking in the desert landscape of rocky mountains and clear skies. Vicente, their father, is loving and tries to teach them things but sometimes loses control when it comes to alcohol.

We follow this inevitable family reunion from the sisters' childhood through adolescence and into early adulthood, in a series of memories connected to the director’s own life and her relationship with her father. A traumatic accident and the realization of what her father did to save her led to the creation of this film.

This project, though with different actresses for each stage, has echoes of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood—which recorded significant events over several years. However, while Linklater focuses on meaningful situations and the everyday, Lacorazza seems more interested in showing those seemingly insignificant, cyclical moments that, over time, become treasured memories. These moments reflect how paternal relationships inevitably evolve as time passes.

In this sense, the repetitive games and summer fun subtly reflect the complexities of relationships between separated parents and their children. When the parent-child dynamic becomes less conventional—moving from educator and protector to friend—it exposes how challenging it is to maintain certain boundaries.

In the Summers moves with a calm, controlled pace, occasionally interrupted by events that disturb this relationship. Lacorazza focuses on routine but treads cautiously with themes like sexual and Latin identity, trauma, the absence of a traditional home, educational control, language barriers, borders, and addiction. Yet, the film succeeds in using silence between the sisters to reflect the family situations we often endure because of our close bonds.

Violeta and Eva never complain or argue about their parents. The film doesn’t pass judgment but rather presents them experiencing life as it comes. They navigate their parents' imperfections, adapting to them as best they can.

Though the sisters are portrayed by different actresses as they age, their father is played throughout by René Pérez (Residente), the Puerto Rican singer, composer, and rapper. He makes an impressive fiction film debut, naturally embodying a father who loves his daughters deeply, tries to maintain a good relationship with them, but struggles with internal conflicts he tries to shield them from. His performance anchors the film, especially when the plot feels flat.

In the Summers is an intimate, warm, and nostalgic film (with excellent cinematography and music) that portrays the bittersweet nature of growing up and surviving our parents. Eva and Violeta’s story evokes the idea of determinism—the limited control we have over our lives and circumstances. If we don’t get to choose our parents, then our perspective on these relationships, especially if problematic, should perhaps be more understanding. Lacorazza crafts several highly emotional moments without dialogue—hugs, knowing glances, and silent gazes convey what’s left unsaid and the uncertainty of which summer might be their last together.

The feature premiered this year at the Sundance Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize, and recently closed the Cartagena International Film Festival. It is currently screening in U.S. theaters.

Technical Details

Director: Alessandra Lacorazza

Screenplay: Alessandra Lacorazza

Runtime: 95 minutes

Genre: Drama

Cast: René Pérez, Sasha Calle, Lio Mehiel, Emma Ramos, Leslie Grance, Sharlene Cruz

Cinematography: Alejandro Mejía

Editing: Adam Dicterow

Music: Eduardo Cabra

Country: United States, Mexico

Year: 2024

Image Credits: Music Box Films

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