The Year My Parents Went on Vacation is a meticulous, fascinating and tender story of Brazil in 1970 when revolution was in the air and the World Cup was the hope of bringing a country back together.
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03/23/08
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The Year My Parents Went On Vacation (2008)
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Reviews Counted:52
Fresh:43
Rotten:9
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Hamburger deftly refracts the sociopolitical tumult of early '70s Brazil through the lens of a young boy's coming of age, and Joelsas' performance is wise beyond his years.
Theatrical Release:Feb 15, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: This Brazilian import is set during the excitement of the 1970 World Cup. While the country focuses its attention on the epic soccer tournament, a boy is separated from his parents as they are... [More]
Starring: Michel Joelsas, Germano Haiut, Caio Blat, Daniela Piepszyk
Director: Cao Hamburger
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Reviews for The Year My Parents Went On Vacation
This nuanced coming-of-age drama by Cao Hamburger exudes warmth without getting mired in nostalgia.
03/21/08
I found the film fascinating for showing me entertainingly a world I still know very little about.
02/06/08
Top Critic... neither striking nor ultimately memorable, but it provides a pleasant diversion ...
02/14/08
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation is an appealing dramedy that delicately couches its political and social commentary in a coming of age tale.
07/09/08
Most political films involving children are vicious or sentimental. The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, set in 1970 when Brazil was under the military dictatorship of General Emilio Medici, is neither.
04/11/08
One of those adorable foreign kid/cranky old folks heartwarmers.
02/15/08
Steps into the shoes of youth remembered, a summer when a boy's wide eyes are opened further by disillusion--the final whistle sounds sharp and harsh, echoing long after the game's over. An elegant, reflective film that dekes around coming-of-age cliches.
07/01/08
A Brazilian dramedy that touches on politics, sex, family and religion but is interested in them only to the extent that they rub off on the movie's people.
04/18/08
Director Cao Hamburger has a warm, delicate sensibility that informs the story's commonplace events. Neither the story's drama nor its comedy are overstated.
04/17/08
Sensitive, delicate and involving...
10/05/07
Michel Joelsas, the young actor who carries the film, is quite a find ... a fun and charming film.
02/11/08
Set against the 1970 World Cup, this serio-comic coming of age saga (Brazil's official entry for foreign-language Oscar) is at once particular and universal in its rites of passage, centering on a boy thrust into Sao Paulo's "alien" Jewish community
01/08/08
Heartwarming...This is a Year worth spending with Mauro and his friends.
04/12/08
An emotionally touching Brazilian film about the spiritual riches and rewards of hospitality experienced by an abandoned and lonely young boy in a strange place.
02/07/08
[Director Cao] Hamburger's solid craftsmanship ensures a slick, enjoyable product, even if it's too by-the-numbers to really stand out.
02/14/08
Nicely mixed lighter-than-air comedy with poignant moments amid Brazil's political authoritarian governments in the 1970s.
01/22/08
A gentle coming-of-age film set in 1970 Brazil.
03/28/08
Directed by Cao Hamburger, this warmly engaging film benefits from its understated approach (it suggests rather than spells out the political turmoil), and its light, comedic tone never mitigates the drama of the central story.
02/12/08
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.
05/01/08
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