[Sundance 2024] IN THE SUMMERS -- A Relatable, If Conventional Coming-of-Age

Review by Sean Boelman

A still from In The Summers by Alessandra Lacorazza, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

When Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s feature debut, In the Summers, took home the Grand Jury Prize in the US Dramatic Competition at Sundance, it was a major upset over the perceived favorites. While it is a bit on the familiar side, Samudio’s drama is nevertheless a touching film driven by great performances and strong direction. 

In the Summers is a coming-of-age film following two sisters as they grow up spending the summer with their father in New Mexico. This story has been told many times before — including several times recently — but the refreshing perspective that Samudio brings to the table allows it to stand out.

The film takes an episodic structure, with the title coming from the film taking place during the characters’ summers over several years. Naturally, some moments are longer than others, and some are more compelling than others. Samudio does struggle a bit with the narrative momentum, as there are some lulls, but she’s mostly able to draw it back in.

One thing about In the Summers that is somewhat frustrating is how it introduces several narrative threads that aren’t fully explored. For example, one of the sisters comes into her identity throughout the film, but this is largely relegated to a bland romantic subplot; Samudio flirts with the idea of multiculturalism but never dives into it; and the father’s alcoholism is also mostly glossed over. These threads show the potential that Samudio’s debut had to be truly great, not just good.

A still from In The Summers by Alessandra Lacorazza, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Still, there’s something incredibly relatable about the characters and their story, especially if you were raised in a single-parent household or come from a Latino background. Yes, many of the beats in the story are a bit generic and played out, but Samudio tells them with such earnestness and authenticity that they still resonate.

It also helps that the performances are pretty incredible. The biggest standout is Residente, who plays the father in a way that is so beautifully painful to watch. His sweetness and good intentions are apparent, yet there’s this unfortunate disconnect between who he wants to be and who he is. The performers who play the girls at various stages of their lives are all quite good, although it is disappointing to see how little use the adult actors, Sasha Calle and Lío Mehiel, got.

The film definitely radiates a feeling of warmth, primarily thanks to the strong cinematography and production design. Like many films about childhood, the film is shot with an idyllic lens — even when the conflict is rather bleak. Samudio does a great job of showing the innocence of a childhood perspective.

In the Summers is far from perfect, and it probably could have explored plenty of things better. However, it is still very compelling and signals the arrival of an exciting new voice on the scene in filmmaking — which is why film festivals are needed in the first place.

In the Summers screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which ran January 18-28 in-person in Park City, UT and online from January 25-28.

​Rating: 4/5