Two women, each experiencing grief and life in her own way, come together in the mother-daughter drama Honeyjoon. It’s a quietly powerful exploration of grief, family, and the small moments that connect us. With tender performances and a stunning setting, this deftly handled directorial debut from Lilian T. Mehrel lingers long after the credits roll. For anyone drawn to character-driven stories that celebrate the complexities of human relationships, Honeyjoon is not to be missed.
After premiering at Tribeca earlier this year, Honeyjoon now comes to the Windsor International Film Festival. The insightful, low-key drama follows June (Ayden Mayeri) and her Persian-Kurdish mother, Lela (Amira Casar), as they travel to São Miguel in the Azores. The islands off of Portugal offer a rich and beautiful setting that attracts honeymooners, but for June and Lela, their trip is one of grief and memory. The women have timed their visit to mark the first anniversary of Lela’s husband/June’s father’s death by scattering his ashes on the same island he once travelled to following the death of his own father.
Both women have vastly different approaches to their trip, and even on vacation, they prefer to keep their distance. June graduated from the top of her class at medical school but has recently quietly quit her residency and seeks to reconnect with herself. Lela is in the Azores to mend her broken heart and fill the hole in her life left by her husband’s passing. With help from their (handsome) local tour guide, João (José Condessa), the women finally realize that what they need most in life is each other.
Mother-daughter relationship movies often pit the women against each other, typically with a rebellious daughter facing off against a traditional mother who stands in her way. It’s the typical journey towards tension and animosity, but in Honeyjoon, Mehrel, who also wrote the script, creates tension between the women in grounded and believable ways. June is keen to explore her sexuality and dress stylishly, while her mother chides her for her revealing outfits. In turn, June deals with her mother’s Facebook doom-scrolling and dour tendencies, reminding her that they are the ones still living. Mayeri and Casar have chemistry that feels tender and lived-in, truly making the women and their relationship come alive. There is a disconnect between them due to their age and cultural gap, which feels true to real life and forced for drama.
As successful as the story of connection, reconnection, and grief is, there is a subplot involving Lela’s fascination with the Women, Life, Freedom movement that doesn’t quite land. There is no doubt that a Persian woman of her age who reminisces about pre-revolution Iran would follow the movement, and that her daughter would have different feelings towards it, but it doesn’t feel fleshed out enough to include in the story, and ultimately, it detracts from the family drama at Honeyjoon’s heart.
On the surface, surfing tour guide João may just appear to be eye candy, but he is surprisingly philosophical, providing the film’s deepest moments of thought. “Nobody’s happy all the time. Happiness comes in waves, in little moments, but it’s not forever so even more reason to ride the wave when it comes,” he waxes philosophically to June. With this gentle film, Mehrel shows expertise in directing her actors, giving the characters room to breathe and story beats to unfold gracefully. Cinematographer Inés Gowland lets the beauty of the Azores speak for itself with stunning long shots and takes of the sunset, seaside, and architecture. Mehrel and Gowland use the São Miguel setting to mirror their characters, which, for the most part, is successful. The setting brings so much life to the story and, in turn, is captured the way one might take a photo for a scrapbook or travel journal.
There is no big climax in Honeyjoon, and the film doesn’t require it. Instead, viewers are treated to a film with subtle story turns and rich characters that make the whole viewing experience enjoyable. The lessons from the journey Lela and June have been on together will last far longer than their vacation.
With heartfelt performances and breathtaking scenery, Honeyjoon is a quiet gem about family, grief, and finding connection where you least expect it.
