The Year My Parents Went on Vacation.

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation takes place in Brazil in 1970, when the country was ruled by a military dictatorship and its national soccer team, led by Pelé, was making its way toward the finals of the World Cup," writes AO Scott in the New York Times. "Accordingly, sports and politics both play parts in this film, directed by Cao Hamburger, which filters the tumult and trauma of Brazilian history through the perceptions of a 12-year-old boy named Mauro."

"[T]his warmly engaging film benefits from its understated approach (it suggests rather than spells out the political turmoil), and its light, comedic tone never mitigates the drama of the central story," writes Jean Oppenheimer in the Voice.

"[T]he more serious things get for political dissidents in Brazil, the more we get involved in Mauro's story," writes Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times.

For Meghan Keane, writing in the New York Sun, the film "shows both the fragility of youth and its resilience."

Scarlet Cheng (LAT) and ST VanAirsdale (Reeler) interview Hamburger.

Earlier: My quick take from last year's Berlinale.

Posted by dwhudson at February 15, 2008 2:19 PM