In the Summers

By: Gladys Luna

Through chapters that represent a different stage of their lives, In the Summers explores the intricate and estranged relationship between a drug addict and alcoholic father and his two kids. As the film unravels, we are witnesses of the impact and consequences of the scars that this troubled dynamic has left on all of them.

Vicente (René Pérez Joglar) is a disturbed man whose addictions and anger management issues have only earned him a lot of problems during his life, including losing custody of his daughters. Summer after summer for several years that go from their childhood to their young adult life, Violeta (Lío Mehiel) and Eva (Sasha Calle) travel all the way from California to New Mexico to spend some time with him, but what always starts as a good thing soon takes a dark twist that often ends up into something close to tragic.

I must say that Joglar’s exquisite interpretation makes you dislike Vicente almost as quickly as it makes you empathize with him in some moments. Watching the character caught up in the middle of a constant fight with his inner demons to be the father and the man he still aspires to be to just ends up failing time after time is always disheartening. One of my favorite scenes was when Vicente tries to explain to his daughters about the universe and the stars by using a slice of pizza. Also, watching Violeta and Eva coming back every year despite their awful experiences and prior interactions with their father proves their enormous compassion towards him and what remains of a love they still have for him that he has slowly wasted over time.

Director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio accomplishes skillfully to lead the actors through every stage and emotion often making them look like as a time bomb. I must admit that as part of the audience I spent the entire movie in angst thinking they will explode at any minute. The use of the dim light appeared to reflect the constant proximity that the characters were to falling into a profound darkness, keeping us at the edge of our seats.

In the Summers is a story about family, resilience and the continuous battles we face in order to change the course of our destiny and become the best version of ourselves. This is a brilliant and gut-wrenching movie that everyone should watch.