Film festivals are truly a great place to discover new voices. This is Lilian T. Mehrel’s fantastic debut feature, created when she won the AT&T Tribeca Untold Stories grant. I’ve always been into mother-daughter tales, especially since my late mom was a single parent who loved traveling, but we never got to take a trip just the two of us.

The backdrop is the beautiful São Miguel island in the Azores, Portugal. The mother and daughter feel a bit out of place here, as this stunning archipelago with its deep blue waters and clear skies is a romantic getaway for couples. Persian Lela and her alluring daughter June visit to mark the one-year anniversary of her husband and June’s father’s passing. We find out that June’s dad cherished the island from a trip he took years ago, so they plan to scatter a bit of his hair into the North Atlantic Ocean.

The film opens with a provocative scene of June pleasuring herself in bed while Lela is in the bathroom. As soon as she hears the bathroom door creak open, she stops her movements and moans, which gets a laugh from the crowd. This setup works well because it instantly shows us that these two have very different ways of dealing with their grief and moving on. Lela is eager to bond with June over their shared loss, but June just wants to escape the dark cloud hanging over her and feel alive again. She’s rocking a teeny-tiny bikini and shamelessly flirts with all the cute guys on the island.

Amira Casar as Lela and Ayden Mayeri as June are stunning, and they look believable as mother and daughter. Casar still has a youthful glow, which makes the handsome resort concierge Antonio (António Maria) joke that they could pass for sisters. June’s deadpan reaction to that is just too funny. She’s instantly relatable and likable, and I find myself liking her more as the story unfolds. I really enjoy situational humor where the setting itself adds to the comedy. The whole idea of people grieving while surrounded by lovey-dovey honeymooners is just hilariously absurd.

When June arranges a private tour, having the extremely attractive guide João (José Condessa) really spices up their experience and provides the enjoyable distraction they’re looking for. The tour around the island is breathtaking, and the ever-changing weather seems to reflect the unpredictable nature of their relationship. It’s amusing to see how June wishes her mom would stop bringing up the political turmoil in Iran in every conversation, while Lela implores June to wear less revealing outfits.

Mayeri, who occasionally reminds me of Anne Hathaway, has such natural comedic timing that’s put to good use. I’ve only seen her in Confess, Fletch with Jon Hamm, but I’m thrilled she’s taken on a more prominent role here, and I really hope she gets more opportunities like this because she definitely has a strong screen presence.

I’ve only seen Casar in smaller roles, too, but she shines just as brightly in a co-leading part. I appreciate how Mehrel portrays an older woman in her 50s as a sexy, sensual person who still has her sexual awareness intact. Usually, in Hollywood films, even women in their 40s are pushed into mom roles whose sex lives have long been dormant. Condessa is memorable as the philosophical mentor, and the scene where he brought Lela and June to his place to meet his grandma is adorable.

With her Iranian-German background, Mehrel also explores the immigrant experience and the generational differences in cultural perspectives. Lela is always checking her phone for political and social updates about her home country of Iran, particularly concerning women’s issues. June keeps urging her mom to stop ‘ruining their vacation’ with the grim news about Iranian women being killed.

Mehrel sprinkles in some visual metaphors throughout the story, like the painting of Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus hanging in their hotel room, which symbolizes the search for enlightenment. It’s interesting to point out that this was the first secular painting to feature nudity, as before this piece, nudity was only seen in religious art to illustrate Eve’s sin. June’s monologue by the beach about wanting to live freely and how her sexy, cleavage-baring outfits reflect that freedom is pretty on-the-nose, but it still comes off as organic and not forced.

Honeyjoon is a breezy and enjoyable comedy that goes down well in just 75 minutes. Mehrel skillfully mixes comedy and tragedy in the narrative because humor really thrives in contrast. I’m glad I get to discover a new talented filmmaker; I hope Mehrel gets to do more films in the future!

---