In the Summers

Alessandra Lacorazza's first feature took both the Grand Jury Prize and the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic section at Sundance in 2024. It follows two sisters across four separate summers spent with their father in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The months in between are never shown; between each chapter the girls have grown and the balance of the relationship has shifted. The father is played by the Puerto Rican musician Residente. His love is real, but drink and unpredictability are always on the table. What the film finds best is the quiet division of labour children work out around such a parent: learning to read which evening will go well, learning when to stay silent. Sasha Calle and Lio Mehiel play the sisters at their oldest. The chapter structure removes the crisis peak that family films usually build toward. You wait for the explosion and another summer simply begins, with the damage already accumulated. This does not make the film soft; it makes it cumulative. Who it's for: viewers who prefer family damage told through time rather than through shouting. Who it's not for: viewers who want a clear knot and a clear untying; the film settles no account at the end, it just stops.