Siblings Violeta and Eva live in California with their mother, but every summer they travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to spend time with their loving but unpredictable father, Vicente (René “Residente” Pérez Joglar). Over the course of four formative summers that span adolescence to early adulthood, Violeta and Eva learn to appreciate their father as a person, his flaws and limitations inseparable from his passion and tenderness. Lovers come and go, the backyard goes to seed, but the idea of home remains knotty and elusive. This powerful and deeply personal directorial debut from Alessandra Lacorazza offers a nuanced study of young people questioning their place within their families, their communities, and their identities. Winner of the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, In The Summers proves both an emotional capsule of growing up within a fragmented family and a love letter to the resilience needed to survive.

For in-depth thoughts on In The Summers, please see my colleague Cody Allen’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

In The Summers comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation in its original 1.66:1 which is lovely. This is a nostalgic film in some respects with carefully composed shots of the home and surrounding landscapes that reveal an impressive amount of detail. The transfer retains the textured look of the source format quite favorably with no dips even in the shadowy portions of the screen. Skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. The film is replete with natural colors throughout with numerous moments that stand out from the landscapes to some of the costumes. The interiors are typically a more reserved environment that presents with moderate tones that the presentation displays with a pleasing richness. The highlights are handled beautifully, along with the deep blacks that do not appear to stumble with any compression artifacts. Music Box Films Home Entertainment has provided a first-rate presentation.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in the original mixture of English and Spanish that deftly translates the mood of the narrative. The sound design is not particularly showy, but it complements the visuals with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a lived-in soundscape that works quite well. This is not a kinetic film in the slightest, but activity in the low end provides some welcome texture to numerous scenes. The film embraces music which fills the room gallantly. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being overwhelmed by the sound effects or the score. This is a strong release that brings the movie to life in a really wonderful way. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Alessandra Lacorazza leads this audio commentary track that finds her joined by various collaborators including her editor, casting director, director of photography, and production designer.

Sundance Meet The Artist – Alessandra Lacorazza: A nearly minute-and-a-half-long piece with the writer/director who discusses the background of the film for the Sundance audience.

Making A Sundance Gem – Cast Interview From The Sundance Film Festival by Collider: A great 27-minute interview with Alessandra Lacorazza and actors Lio Mehiel, Sasha Calle, Leslie Grace, and René Pérez.

Filmmaker Q&A: A 19-minute post-screening conversation with Alessandra Lacorazza and René Pérez who delve into the creation of the film through the moderation of filmmaker Debra Granik.

More Than A Movie – Podcast with Residente and Alessandra Lacorazza: The 44-minute episode of this podcast is presented as audio against a static screen.

Deleted Scenes: There are eight minutes of unused material provided here that didn’t make the final cut.

Bloopers: A nearly three-minute selection of silly moments, flubs, and laughing fits from the set.

MAMI – A Short Film by Alessandra Lacorazza: The 11-minute short film is provided here in HD. The film follows a girl frustrated by the responsibility that comes from caring for her mother.

Image Gallery

Theatrical Trailer (2:29)

Final Thoughts

In The Summers is a very impressive feature debut from Alessandra Lacorazza that takes a very personal story and finds a way to make it universal. One of the film’s greatest strengths is how it creates such a distinct world that has so much personality. The pacing is a bit inconsistent which can make certain stretches feel longer than they are. Nevertheless, this film is very impactful in the way it shows how actions echo throughout the years in unexpected ways. The performances are very good, and we cannot wait to see what Lacorazza has in store next. Music Box Films Home Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray release featuring a stellar A/V presentation and an impressive array of special features. Recommended

In The Summers is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Music Box Films Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.