“The Vacation” starts with a barber named Aaron (Drew Morris) sitting in his car, which won’t start. Today is his vacation. All he wants to do is take a drive to the beach, hang out with his friends, and forget about his troubles. Just one day. His car will not let him accomplish this seemingly small request of the universe. One by one, he is joined by his friends. Devin (Carrillo) wears a suit and has to go to a job interview for an internship. Their friend Freddie (Ohene Cornelius) hops in the backseat, rolls a joint, and proceeds to stink up the car with pot smoke. Finally, their friend Trae (Trae Harris) enters and offers the only bit of optimism for the four of them. “I see myself in the future,” she says, and loses herself in a brief daydream of a better life. The other three try it, with mixed results.
Carrillo’s film is the perfect little ten-minute piece for this time of year, when many are feeling the economic pinch, and a simple trip to the beach seems like the answer to all one’s woes, while interviewing for an unpaid internship seems like backward logic. The characters here talk a lot about race, class, and the idea of living free without ever getting too preachy or heavy-handed about it. It’s a very likable bunch that Jarreau has assembled here, full of wit and good-natured take-downs of one another. They’ll remind viewers of their own friends and the days that could have been wonderful, but were never meant to be.
Carrillo also sprinkles in other characters to walk through the setting, mostly customers wondering if they can get a haircut. Aaron, after greeting them with a labored and increasingly frustrated “yo!”, has to tell them, “No, I’m on vacation,” even though he’s not going anywhere. That’s the theme in a nutshell: These characters aren’t moving up in the world, nor are they moving down. A day off from this sideways existence feels like a luxury item, a slight step up from the used couch cushion one guy tries to sell Aaron, an absurdist moment that would fit right at home on “Atlanta.”
“The Vacation” is the kind of short film that accomplishes a lot without ever looking like it’s trying too hard. It’s a difficult balance to pull off, but Carrillo manages to keep the air light while talking about some deep subjects, ones that the characters would just as well say “to be continued” rather than solve the weight of the issues in a single afternoon. Why kill a good vibe, even when the damn car won’t start?
“The Vacation” won the 2023 Grand Jury Prize for Directing (U.S.) at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Best Narrative Short at the 2023 Sidewalk Film Festival, and Best Short Short at the 2023 Aspen Shortsfest.
