contemporary world cinema for salmon arm and kelowna |
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The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
Country: Brazil
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Audience Award: Rio de Janiero Film Festival 2007 This film, directed by Cao Hamburger, is set in Brazil in 1970 when the military dictatorships were on the rise in South America , wreaking havoc on political economies of the region. But none of this matters to twelve-year-old Mauro (newcomer Michel Joelsas) who, like so many others that volatile summer, is more interested in the World Cup of Soccer. Mauro's situation, however, is distinct from that of other sports-fanatic children: his parents, left-wing activists, have been forced to go into hiding in order to pursue their underground activities, and in haste, they leave Mauro with his grandfather. However, his grandfather isn't actually around. Mauro is eventually put into the care of his grandfather's neighbour, a surly old Jewish man Shlomo (Germano Haiut) who works at the local synagogue and has few friends. Nearly alone, Mauro faces many obstacles, but his days are punctuated with bursts of joy and discovery as he gets to know Shlomo and a host of diverse characters. As Mauro begins to find his way, he discovers that life can be simultaneously bitter and sweet. “ Sensitive, delicate and involving, The Year My Parents Went on Vacation is a silky smooth dramedy about a boy thrust into the alien environment of a Jewish community when his politicized parents are forced to flee the country .” Variety |
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