In the Summers

by Rachel Willis

Divided into four parts, over four summers, writer/director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s debut film, In the Summers, is a touching, sometimes painful, story of a father spending time with his two daughters – carving out a relationship in the few months he has with them each year.

Vicente (René Pérez Joglar) is excited to welcome his two young daughters to his home their first summer together. The girls are wary, but the youngest daughter, Eva, (played at this age by Luciana Quinonez) is more easily enchanted by her father than her older sister, Violeta (Dreya Castillo). An act of rebellion from Violeta reveals Vicente’s temper in a heated phone call with the girls’ mother.

Though Act 1 is short, it establishes the tumultuous relationship between the girls and their father. It’s clear Vicente loves his children, but he is unsure how to form a loving bond.

Joglar excels at bringing this tenuous relationship with his daughters to life. As the one constant across the three acts (as the girls are played by different actors each summer), he establishes himself as someone loving at times, but ferocious at others.

Each of the actors playing Eva and Violeta across the summers are excellent at articulating the relationship between father and daughters. It works that different actress play the girls/young women at different stages, not only due to the passing of time, but because each summer, they’re new people to their father. This wonderfully conveys the struggle of trying to build a foundation for a relationship with so much time apart.

The film excels in its ability to evoke deep, complicated emotions within families. Simple details, such as the state of the house, augment the story. Though we’re only given snippets of time with these characters, each moment adds depth to the overall picture.

The setting of Las Cruces, New Mexico adds atmosphere to the film. The beauty and desolation together mirror the family dynamic.

The movie has a few weaker scenes, but despite this, they still get across what they need to, exemplifying the changing dynamics between the characters. Just like any relationship, the film isn’t perfect, but it comes close in its portrayal of family trying its hardest to survive.