What do you get when you combine a distant mother/daughter relationship, grief, and an island vacation? Honeyjoon! For her feature debut, writer and director Lilian T. Mehral makes a good attempt at tackling some of the messiness of grief while establishing her own style as a filmmaker.
Honeyjoon follows the story of a Persian-Kurdish mother, Lela (Amira Casar, Call Me By Your Name), and her daughter, June (Ayden Mayeri, Jackpot), who are on a trip together for the one-year anniversary of Papa’s death in the beautiful Azores islands of Portugal. This area was once a home to their beloved husband and father, so it’s the perfect location to celebrate him. However, within their beautiful resort, Lela and June are surrounded by newlyweds. In fact, their room is a honeymoon suite.
To explore the area, Lela and June book a private tour, hoping for different things. Lela is looking for a place to set free a lock of Papa’s hair and hug and cry, while June wants to experience all the things he loved about that place. With the help of their handsome tour guide, João (José Condessa), the ladies set out to see the wonders told to them in Papa’s stories and find each other amidst the fuss of their shared grief.
Mehral has a unique style. There’s a desire to blend comedy with complex emotion, which is not always easy to do. Depending on the story, the deep emotional or comedic moments can feel out of place. This is not necessarily the case for Honeyjoon. Most moments are appropriate and well-placed throughout the film. They just happen too quickly, so the payoff is weakened. As a viewer, you don’t get enough time to sit with what’s happening before the scene is over.
Casar and Mayeri as Lela and June are good together. There’s a stillness to Casar’s Lela that is perfect for the character. Her life experiences and education (she’s a therapist) make her more grounded and intentional. In contrast, Mayeri is more abrasive as June. She’s a bit defiant, but she knows who she is and what she wants, even though Mom may not agree. Their differences may clash, but they are both driven by the love they have for their husband and father.
I will say, for a movie called Honeyjoon, I was expecting more inclusion of the honeymooners at the resort. But, at its core, the film is about a mom and daughter finding their way back after a great loss. Grief is many things, but ultimately it is fueled by love. And with time, that love is what will see you through.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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