In the Summers

In the Summers
Directed by	Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
Written by	Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
Produced by	Janek Ambros Lynette Coll Cynthia Fernandez De La Cruz Alexander Dinelaris Cristóbal Güell Sergio Lira Rob Quadrino Jan Suter Daniel Tantalean Nando Vila Slava Vladimirov Stephanie Yankwitt
Starring	René Pérez Sasha Calle
Cinematography	Alejandro Mejía
Edited by	Adam Dicterow
Music by	Eduardo Cabra
Production companies	Lexicon Bluestone Entertainment Exile Content Studio 1868 Studios Luz Films
Distributed by	Music Box Films
Release dates	January 22, 2024 (2024-01-22) (Sundance) September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) (United States)
Running time	95 minutes
Countries	United States Mexico
Languages	English Spanish
Box office	$89,015

In the Summers is a 2024 semi-autobiographical drama film written and directed by Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio in her feature directorial debut. The film won the Grand Jury Prize U.S. Dramatic at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Plot

This film centers on two sisters navigating fraught summer visits with their father. In the first act, we see that Vicente the father greets his two daughters Eva and Violeta and spend good fatherhood time with them. In the second act, we see that the two girls are not used to the father's ways. There is foreshadowing of drunk driving. And then the crash happened. Which injured Violeta. In the third act, we see that only Eva came to spend time with father Vicente. In the fourth act, both Eva and Violata came and spent good time with the father.

Cast

• René Pérez as Vicente
• Sasha Calle as Eva
• Lio Mehiel as Violeta
• Emma Ramos as Carmen
• Leslie Grace as Yenny
• Sharlene Cruz as Camila

Production

It is the debut film of Alessandra Lacorazza, and is loosely based on her childhood visiting her father in Colombia during the summers. Production took place in Las Cruces, New Mexico and wrapped in June 2023.

Release

The film premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2024, winning the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic as well as the U.S. Dramatic Award for Directing, Screenwriting and Editing for Lacorazza. In June 2024, Music Box Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, planning a limited theatrical release on September 20, 2024, followed by a home video release.

Reception

The film received mostly positive reviews from film critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 50 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "In the Summers homes in on emotional insights even as its narrative wanders, suggesting a bright future for writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Lovia Gyarke of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "a visual poem" and praised its acting, but criticized the pacing of the final act. Carlos Aguilar of Variety also praised the cast and its focus on "the everyday vicissitudes of ordinary folk", rather than overly inspirational Latino protagonists.

Robert Daniels of Rogerebert.com criticized the film's lack of a strong central narrative, use of cliches and the distance between the audience and the characters, writing that it "has the look of a better film". However, he praised the actors, "especially the organically composed Residente" saying they "give more than the script offers".

External links

• In the Summers at IMDb