Three families trace their fortunes, for good and ill, over the course of ten summers in this drama from French filmmaker Yves Hanchar. The Bertini, Delperee, and Foucher families first meet by the seaside in 1990, and as the various members become fast friends, they find themselves vacationing together each summer over the next decade. Daniel Delperee (Jeremy Lippmann) finds himself falling in love with Carole (Jessica Pare), a friend of one of the Foucher girls, and over the next several summers he has to come to terms with his feelings for her. He must also face new responsibilities, as his mother Marianne (Catherine Hosmalin), who had been unhappy since parting with her husband Paul (Luc Picard), dies in an auto accident. Daniel then is unsure how to react after Paul becomes involved with a much younger woman, Maddelena (Floriane Devigne). En Vacances received its North American premiere at the 2001 Santa Barbara Film Festival.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide