“HONEYJOON” // 2025 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
BY MATEO MORENO
Writer/Director Lilian T. Mehrel crafts quite a stunner in HONEYJOON, a beautiful and tender entry in this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. The story centers itself around a mother and a daughter, June (Ayden Mayeri) and her mother Lela (Amira Casar), who take a sort of vacation to Portugal together. It’s actually a trip to honor their late father/husband and visit a place that he loved during his life and to scatter his ashes while there. However, the way the two women see this trip are very different. June wants to use the trip as a way to connect with a man, maybe have some sex and feel wanted. Lela spends her days as a sort of “Debbie Downer,” telling anyone who will listen how depressing it is for a modern woman of Iran and how life isn’t how it used to be. She also hates that her daughter wants to wear clothes and swimwear that accent her body, even though she also complains that women in Iran should have more freedom to do just that. June realizes that her mother wants to grieve with her daughter and not with a bunch of tourists, so she books a private tour of the Azores for just her and her mother. The man leading the tour is João (José Condessa), an attractive and charming young man who June is immediately attracted to. Throughout the tour, both women find that what they think they’re searching for might not be exactly what they need and both women end up finding a closeness that they haven’t had in each other.
Beautifully shot and wonderfully paced, HONEYJOON is a prize all around. Both Ayden Mayeri and Amira Casar give spectacular performances that are filled with comical and heartbreaking moments. The catharsis that these women are seeking is the main goal and the journey that the film takes to get there is a beautiful one. It also showcases a powerful tale of the journey of grief, and how no two ways of grieving are alike. Mayeri and Condessa’s performances are both layered and real, complex and emotional. Their connection as mother and daughter is also a powerful one. They don’t tell the story, they FEEL it and we feel it right alongside them. José Condessa also turns in a strong and surprising performance. What at first seems like a simple side character becomes a crucial part of their healing journey. His chemistry with both women is lovely and touching and when we see his own private life, it’s a heartwarming delight. There are always some hidden gems within film festivals, films that are waiting silently to be scooped up, experienced and lived in. Lilian T. Mehrel’s film is just that, a gem that has been waiting patiently for you to find it. So go find it.
GRADE: A
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Lilian T. Mehrel STARRING Ayden Mayeri, Amira Casar, José Condessa SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2025 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: https://tribecafilm.com/films/honeyjoon-2025