Review of In the Summers

I finally got to watch IN THE SUMMERS, the directorial debut of Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio, last night on the Sundance app. This film just won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. It follows two sisters, Violeta and Eva, as they go visit their dad in Las Cruces, New Mexico four times over the course of fifteen-ish years. I was SO IMPRESSED by the acting here, especially the three sets of actors who play the sisters and Residente who plays their father. This is a movie about small moments. I was especially struck by how it demonstrated how complicated people are without lots of expository dialogue. I also loved how queerness was just a part of the film with little commentary. Masculinity is definitely a looming shadow here. I want to see more films like this that represent Latinx folks! And queer Latinx folks! My only big complaint was the Sundance app-lots of sound issues that would force me to stop the film and rewind.