With a title that is a play on “honeymoon” and joon, a Persian word used to endearingly refer to loved ones, Lilian T Mehrel’s debut feature, Honeyjoon, threads together grief, desire, miscommunication, independence, longing and joy in a tapestry that the children of immigrants, among others, will recognise all too well. The film’s concept already stunned at Tribeca one year ago, where the writer-director and her movie were presented with a $1 million award through the AT&T Untold Stories incubator, an accolade that comes with one of the highest cash prizes in the world. Now, it has just enjoyed its world premiere in Tribeca’s non-competitive Viewpoints strand, combining the sheer beauty of Portugal’s Azores with the complex emotional relationship between mothers and daughters.

Coming from an Iranian-German background, Mehrel expertly crafts the dynamic between the Persian-Kurdish therapist Lela (Amira Casar), raised in the UK, and her daughter June (Ayden Mayeri), an all-American woman at heart. We find them on a trip together on the Azores, a slice of paradise beloved by June’s late father – and so, their “honeyjoon” is both a way to honour his memory and a form of bonding. But naturally, the happy couples around them create nasty reminders of either what they’ve lost or what they lack in affection; the two grieve and pine, but neither wishes to admit this to the other. Accentuating this is the presence of João (José Condessa), their handsome private tour guide to whom June is attracted and with whom Lela strikes up an unlikely friendship.

Mehrel rides the rollercoaster of highs and lows with a focus on the underlying disconnect between the two, despite their mutual desires to understand each other. At times, there are too many entangled themes that are left unparsed, such as Lela’s mentions of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran. However, she has a sharp grasp of comedic timing – including a running gag with a bowl of sweets left at the hotel reception – which is used surprisingly sparingly throughout the film.

We often find the characters walking away from the camera or deep in the distance, including in a particularly poignant long take, where the two each pass by the same spot in the rain, encapsulating their disconnect. Cinematographer Inés Gowland further captures the sublime landscapes of the Atlantic archipelago through diary-like filmic sequences that bookend the work, crafting a storybook-esque quality.

Placing everything together, Mehrel’s film bears the messier hallmarks of a debut feature while leveraging the strengths of a relatable relationship dynamic that establishes a compelling emotional baseline for all.

Honeyjoon is a US-Portuguese production staged by Bärli Films and Wonder Maria Filmes.