“Honeyjoon” is a tender, emotionally layered mother-daughter dramedy that understands grief is rarely clean, linear, or even logical. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Azores, director Lilian Mehrel crafts a film that balances sorrow and humor with surprising honesty, even if its shifting tones do not always blend seamlessly.
The story follows June (Ayden Mayeri), an American woman traveling with her Persian-British mother Lela (Amira Casar) to mark the anniversary of her father’s death. Surrounded by honeymooners and postcard-perfect scenery, the pair approach grief in completely opposite ways. Unable to let go of her pain, Lela leans into mourning, while June desperately chases pleasure, distraction, and any spark that might make her feel alive again. Their emotional push and pull becomes the beating heart of the film, and their relationship feels very authentic and raw.
The chemistry between Mayeri and Casar feel entirely believable as a strained but deeply connected mother and daughter. Mayeri delivers a vulnerable, often very funny performance that captures the awkwardness of trying your hardest to move on while still carrying enormous sadness underneath. Casar gives a softer, more subtle, and deeply human portrayal of a woman quietly unraveling beneath composure and routine. Together, they create small moments of raw honesty that will resonate with anyone who has traveled with family while navigating loss or emotional distance.
The lush landscapes of the Azores make for some effortlessly stunning scenery, and the natural beauty contrasts perfectly with the simmering grief underneath nearly every interaction with the characters. Mehrel uses the romantic vacation setting in a smartly ironic way. as June and Lela are surrounded by couples celebrating love while they struggle to reconnect with themselves and each other. The film understands the strange absurdity of mourning in public spaces that expect happiness and relaxation, and expresses it well.
Another thing Mehrel gets right is the way she quietly explores female freedom, aging, and sexuality without ever making it feel heavy handed. The film challenges familiar Hollywood ideas about mothers, widows, and women rediscovering desire later in life, thoughtfully examining generational divides while still emphasizing the invisible emotional threads that bind family together.
With so much going on, the film occasionally struggles to balance all of its moving parts. The tone shifts between intimate grief drama, situational comedy, flirtatious vacation romance, and a broader political statement, and those tonal transitions do not always flow naturally. When the film works best is when its focus is simply on the mother-daughter relationship that makes up the core of the story.
It’s the emotional honesty that carries “Honejoon” through to the finish line, and the film succeeds most in its ability to hold on to both the darkness and the light in the narrative. It is funny, awkward, melancholic, romantic, and deeply human all at once, leaving an intimate look at the complicated process of relearning how to live.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 