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The Year My Parents Went on Vacation

Play trailer Poster for The Year My Parents Went on Vacation PG Released Feb 15, 2008 1h 44m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
The year is 1970, and Mauro (Michel Joelsas) is taken to live with his grandfather while his mother and father flee the politically repressive Brazilian regime. As the nation prepares to watch their team compete in the soccer World Cup, Mauro anticipates the return of his parents. When his grandfather dies suddenly, he is set adrift and befriends the characters who live in the surrounding Jewish neighborhood, all the while anxiously awaiting news of his parents' fate.
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation

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Critics 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.

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Critics Reviews

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Wesley Morris Boston Globe Rated: 3/4 Nov 24, 2011 Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Rated: 4/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: B Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia The little empathy that the opening of the coming of age story transmits to me, vanishes when I witness the triviality of innocence, the calculated sentimentality. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Aug 6, 2020 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row Has an authenticity and sense of genuineness that is truly beautiful. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 6, 2019 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion A painless enough movie, which is precisely the problem Aug 27, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (294) audience reviews
dave s In an effort to flee from a repressive military regime, before escaping, a young couple leaves their child with the boy's grandfather, unaware that he had died the previous day. Alone in Sao Paolo, the boy is taken in by the tightly-knit Jewish community, where, much like his escaping parents, he must come to terms with a world he is unable to fully understand. The Year My Parents Went on Vacation is a poignant Brazilian film set during 1970's World Cup, the only event that could bring a fractured country together. The performances are understated but effective, the hand-held camerawork gives the film a feeling of authenticity, and the script never allows the sentimental story to become maudlin. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Relying on solid performances, this is an enjoyable coming-of-age drama that touches us and amuses us in the same proportion, even if it doesn't stand out as particularly outstanding or politically relevant despite taking place in this particular moment of Brazilian history. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member I love when an audience stays quiet and doesn't move through the entire credits. This movie ended that way. I've got two thoughts; 1. I love Jewish People, and this movie did have a focus on Jewish people. 2. This movie left me feeling very ignorant. There is so little that we (I) know. I have never thought or imagined Jewish people living in Brazil, I did not know that Brazil was affected by the cold war, or that people went into exile as a result. I left with homework, as there are questions that I need answered... Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A very childish, yet sad and worrying, scope on the personal consequences of Brazil's military dictatorship, specially when it's seen throguh the eyes of a little boy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/18/15 Full Review Audience Member A gorgeously written Brazillian film that tugs on the heart-strings and makes some powerful political commentary, "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" is the sort of film that will impress any film fan willing to read subtitles. With the 1970 World Cup used as a backdrop, the film follows the life of a young boy whose parents have to go into hiding due to a harsh military dictatorship and has to stay with his grandfather in a Jewish neighborhood in Sao Paulo. The young boy is played by young Michel Joelsas, and his performance is incredible and powerful in a film-defining role. Meanwhile, the supporting cast that includes Germano Haiut and Daniela Piepszyk put in very strong performances. It's engaging throughout and touches on so much politics without becoming preachy about it. A must-see. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Ilustra com grande delicadeza e sensibilidade as angústias e atitudes de seu pequeno protagonista perante a um período tão conturbado da história brasileira. Em verdade, embora exponha pontualmente a tensão que permeava os "anos de chumbo", o longa de fato brilha quando apresenta as descobertas e escapes de Mauro em meio às mudanças tão radicais de sua vida. Para tanto, contamos com a enorme ternura e sutileza da câmera e fotografia da equipe de Cao Hamburger - responsável, aliás, por momentos belissimamente simbólicos (como por exemplo, a bandeira nacional hasteada na frente de uma janela gradeada). Iguais elogios para o ritmo do longa - sempre em harmonia com os episódios narrados -, para o competente elenco e para a bela trilha sonora. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis The year is 1970, and Mauro (Michel Joelsas) is taken to live with his grandfather while his mother and father flee the politically repressive Brazilian regime. As the nation prepares to watch their team compete in the soccer World Cup, Mauro anticipates the return of his parents. When his grandfather dies suddenly, he is set adrift and befriends the characters who live in the surrounding Jewish neighborhood, all the while anxiously awaiting news of his parents' fate.
Director
Cao Hamburger
Producer
Cao Hamburger, Caio Gullane, Fabiano Gullane
Screenwriter
Claudio Galperin, Cao Hamburger, Bráulio Mantovani, Anna Muylaert
Distributor
City Lights Pictures
Production Co
Gullane, Globo Filmes, Miravista
Rating
PG (Smoking|Mild Language|Brief Suggestive Content|Some Violence|Thematic Material)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 15, 2008, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 15, 2008
Runtime
1h 44m