'Year My Parents Went on Vacation' tender, charming
Coming-of-age tale is a poignant mix of joy and tragedy
"The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" comes from a filmmaker whose name is allegedly Cao Hamburger.
And in case you're guessing, that first name is pronounced like "cow," which almost implies that this Brazilian feature is meant to be some sort of joke.
But despite a few bits of low-key humor and some cheeky bits, the mostly charming film is actually meant to be taken seriously. And there are some poignant, surprisingly tender moments.
The '70s-era, coming-of-age tale follows Mauro (Michel Joelsas), a young Brazilian soccer fan who's recently discovered his parents (Eduardo Moreira and Simone Spoladora) are going on an extended "vacation." In reality, his father has been forced to go on the run because of his revolutionary activities.
The unhappy preteen has been told that he isn't going with them. Instead, he's supposed to spend that time with his paternal grandfather, a barber named Motel Stein (Paulo Autran), who lives in Sao Paulo.
Mauro's parents drop him off there, not knowing that Motel recently passed away. Luckily, a Jewish neighbor named Shlomo (Germano Haiut) agrees to look after the boy while they're away.
So, while there's some joy in this tale, there's a bit of tragedy as well. And there's a sad irony because veteran Brazilian actor Autran, who appears in brief flashbacks, died just after the film was released.
But newcomer Joelsas is very likable, and the relationships his character forges with the kind-hearted Shlomo and a young girl named Hanna (Daniela Piepszyk) are believable.
"The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" is rated PG for some vulgar humor and references (some of it scatological and mildly sexual in nature), ethnic slurs and other derogatory language, scattered profanity, and some brief violence and bullying (athletics-based, as well as some implied police brutality). Running time: 104 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com
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