Wednesday, January 29, 2025

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION (2025)

 


The Latest film from Kenneth Frank is a home run. It's a heartfelt and very human story of a 12 year old girl trying to navigate her summer vacation and her family. 

I'be been following the work of Ken and his cohorts at In The Garage Productions for several years now. Over that time I've been enjoying their films and watching them grow as filmmakers.

The last two films from Ken were comedies and I had mentioned in reviews that he should step away from the comedy and just focus on the drama, which has always been his strength.. In December Ken emailed me to say he made a drama and asked me if I wanted to see it.

Yes, yes I did. And yes yes you do.

The film is a beautifully acted, wonderfully told tale that gives us some very real moments in the life of a family that are going to echo moments in your life. Nothing feels false. Everything is dead on target. And while the time frame  feels slightly wonky, nothing that happens in the film feels wrong or off. Nothing feels added for dramatic effect. Events play out as they do in real life. There are no big screaming adult moments, only what Grace would see. There is no effort to wedge in false emotional moments.

The cast is first rate. The reason that the film works is because of them. Raquel Sciacca as Grace gives a starmaking performance and Dawson her real life brother turns in a magnificent physival performance that makes you want to go up and give him a hug.

After the screening Hubert Vigilla and I were discussing he film and comparing it to Annie Baker's JANET PLANET. Everything that Baker's film does wrong, this film does right. Here we have a lead character who is a real person and not a cliche or just an audience surrogate. She exits because she it genuinely the focus of the film.

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION is a genuine coming of age film about real people dealing with real issues. We are getting a real story and not a lecture by a filmmaker to their younger self.

This film is a genuine gem. Its filled with life and love and the confusion that life causes. It is a film full of genuine wisdom including a show stopping moment when Grace's Mom reveals the secret of of life. It's a moment so on target in it's perfection it hits like a bolt of lightning.

This film is glorious. 

I am in love with this film.

Search out this film.

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