One of big treats of the 2026 El Dorado Film Festival was the screening of writer-director Lilian T. Mehrel’s “Honeyjoon”. This is an emotionally rich, life-affirming dramedy that had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. Now as it continues to make its way along the festival circuit, more people are getting to experience this impressive feature debut from a filmmaker with a number of compelling interests on her mind.

Set and filmed in the gorgeous Azores islands off the coast of Portugal, “Honeyjoon” tells a mother and daughter story that has its own unique flavor. It’s a story with deep-rooted humanity that is conveyed in a variety of ways. It’s mostly seen through the two fully defined lead characters. Their individual experiences, their emotional complexities, their vastly different philosophies – it all fuels the heartfelt drama while setting the table for some smart and often unexpected humor.

The sensual June (Ayden Mayeri) and her more modest mother Lela (Amira Casar) travel to the Azores islands for the one-year anniversary of their husband and father’s death. Years earlier he had visited the islands and he had hoped to one day take his family. But he was diagnosed with cancer and died before he had the opportunity. So June and Lela make the trip themselves as a way of honoring his memory.

But the mother and daughter are at two dramatically different points in their lives. They have sharply contrasting views on how to grieve, how to move forward, and how skimpy June’s wardrobe should be. That last bit feeds one the film’s best running jokes, but it also adds some clarity to their clashing perspectives. To her credit, Mehrel doesn’t judge either of them. She simply explores what has shaped their points of view.

June and Lela arrive at there hotel to find themselves surrounded by honeymooners. To get away from all the intimacy, they book a private island tour that’s guided by a hunky surfer named João (José Condessa). The aggressively flirty June tries to get João’s attention. But he seems much more interested in philosophical conversations with Lela. Ultimately their time with João opens their eyes, allowing them to see each other in a new light.

Things start to come unglued in the final act as Mehrel dilutes the film’s theme of moving forward by linking it with sexual pleasure. It leads to a strange and unwieldy turn that probably looked better on paper than it turned out on screen. But Mehrel gets things back on track with a moving final sequence that really speaks to what “Honeyjoon” is all about.

With “Honeyjoon”, Lilian Mehrel balances a wealth of themes through her intimate and grounded mother-daughter story. It’s a funny and affecting drama that would never work without the sparkling chemistry between Mayeri and Casar. Her film is also a visual feast, from the breathtaking scenery to the impressive camera choices (crisp digital, an iPhone, and best of all, vintage Super 8). It all makes for a strong first feature and it will be exciting to see what Mehrel does next.