In the Summers

Studio: Music Box Films

Apr 07, 2025 Web Exclusive By Zachary Lee Photography by Music Box Films

A love letter to New Mexico and a nuanced reckoning of parental rupture that spans four chapters and unfolds across two decades, Alessandra Lacorazza’s In the Summers is an often tender and caustic tale of two sisters trying to reconcile with their father’s vices while navigating their place in the world. The film won the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2024 and tells the story of Eva and Violet, who visit their father, Vicente (René Pérez aka Residente), every summer in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Although Vicente tries his best to show his daughters a good time, his foibles, namely his volatile anger and recklessness, present obstacles to forming deeper intimacy with the two. Different actresses play Eva and Violeta as we follow them across four summers, and there’s a remarkable continuity between the first time we meet them (played by Dreya Castillo and Luciana Elisa Quinonez) to when they’re adults (Lio Mehiel; Sasha Calle). The power of Lacorazza’s film lies in its restraint, as viewers witness the emotional fallout between Eva, Victor and their father not through vociferous shouting matches, but through pained glances and hidden tears. Although melancholic, it’s also a film that does not demonize its characters and celebrates the grace that comes when well-meaning but flawed people try to reconcile.

Music Box Films’ new Blu-Ray edition is worth investing in, because all that’s included feels homemade. Given how much of the film takes place outside, where Lacorazza and DP Alejandro Mejía capture the ethereal and piercing beauty of the New Mexico sun, presentation is everything, and the Blu-Ray’s quality, in its original format of 1.66:1 and 1080p presentation, does not disappoint. Landscapes are full-bodied and textured poignantly, even in nighttime sequences where they could have easily blended in with the darkness.

It’s evident that this is a deeply personal project, not only for Lacorazza, but for all of her contributors. Each additional element feels hand-picked by the creative team instead of just being thoughtlessly thrown in just to pad out a release. For example, in addition to the inclusion of bloopers or extended scenes, there are several interviews from the film’s premiere at Sundance and at other significant screenings. From a 44-minute audio episode between star Residente and Lacorazza to a 27-minute interview with Lacorazza, Mehiel, Calle, Grace and Pérez out of the Sundance film festival, these features flesh out the story of In the Summers. As viewers, we’re meant not to view the film in isolation of these conversations, but to listen to them as an almost additional soundtrack. Additionally, for the first time, we get the short film MAMI, directed by Lacorazza, in high definition, as well as a full-length audio commentary that features not only Lacorazza, but also insights from her editor, casting director, DP and production designer.

While projects are often described as “personal,” I rarely get the sense that their physical releases are handled with the same tenderness and care as the film itself. This release of In the Summers strikes me as one of the very few physical releases that truly does feel hand-crafted and curated by the people who worked on and love the film so much. Its release is an invitation to experience that same affection.

(www.musicboxfilms.com/film/in-the-summers/)

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