The Year My Parents Went on Vacation

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Movie Details

• Genre: Drama
• Release Date: 2008-02-15 Limited
• Running Time: 110 min.
• Director: Cao Hamburger
• Cast: Michel Joelsas, Germano Haiut, Paulo Autran, Daniela Piepszyk, Simone Spoladore, Caio Blat, Liliana Castro
• Producer: Caio Gullane
• Writer: Cao Hamburger, Claudio Galperin
• Distributor: City Lights Pictures
• Official Site: The Year My Parents Went on Vacation Official Site

A brutal crackdown on left-wing dissidents by Brazil's new military dictatorship hardly registers in a country preoccupied with the 1970 World Cup championship. Before 12-year-old Mauro's radical parents go into hiding, they hastily arrange for their son to stay with his estranged grandfather in another city. Unbeknownst to them, the old man has died, and Mauro (Michel Joelsas) finds himself alone in an alien environment where people speak an indecipherable language called Yiddish. United by a shared passion for all things Pelé, Mauro slowly makes friends in the ethnically diverse neighborhood and develops a bond with the old man next door. Warmly engaging, the film benefits from its understated approach (it suggests rather than spells out the political turmoil gripping the country) and the way its overall light, comedic tone never undermines the drama of the central story. Director Cao Hamburger draws effortlessly convincing performances from newcomers Joelsas and the adorable Daniela Piepszyk, a tiny sprite of a girl who never stops moving and who rules the neighborhood gang of boys.