‘LEMONADE BLESSING’ (Tribeca 2025) In the name of the hormones, holiness, and home life.

LEMONADE BLESSING

Chris Merola brings Tribeca 2025 audiences a film about the communal commiseration of growing up. LEMONADE BLESSING follows the product of divorce, John, as he tries his best to navigate the complexity of raging hormones, an overbearing, devout mother, and Freshman year at a private Catholic School.

Torn between his deeply religious mom, a self-centered father, horny friends, and the rebel girl who pushes his mortality to the brink, John must decide what matters most, who he is, and where to draw the line.

Skye Alyssa Friedman gives Lilith the extravagant sass she requires to exert increasing control over John’s behavior. But in reality, Lily is a feminist. She tells John what she likes and how she feels and dreams beyond the oppressive male-dominated culture that surrounds her. Friedman owns this role with a ferocity that dazzles. Jake Ryan is relentlessly charming. John wavers between guilt, anxiety, and hormone-driven, sacrilegious stunts. Ryan lives in this character. His vulnerability makes him an absolute star. Friedman and Ryan have perfect chemistry. They are deliciously awkward and authentically connected in their side-by-side self-discovery.

As a product of eight years of Catholic school, I decided early on that my values did not align with the monotonous rituals, ancient books, and the close-minded teachings inside. I saw, even at 14, the misogyny and patriarchal structure, and knew it was not what I wanted. As droves of people of all generations abandon organized religion, LEMONADE BLESSING challenges a system hellbent on rules often ignored by the men in charge of enforcing them.

While the film is definitely about power, your moral compass, and the perversion of religion, LEMONADE BLESSING delves into the chaos and bumbling of teenage years with grace, humor, and lived-in experience as a Catholic kid. Merola deftly tackles blame, manipulation, defiance, honesty, and the complexity of unconditional love, delivering a delightfully nuanced coming-of-age story to Tribeca 2025 audiences.

Feature | United States | 100 MINUTES | English

Producer: Chris Merola, Raza Rizvi, Aruba Sülzana, Samuel Ashurov

Screenwriter: Chris Merola

Cinematographer: Harrison Kraft

Composer: Daniel Futcher

Editor: Abhineet Kumar, Edouard Fan

Executive Producer: Chris Merola

Associate Producer: Cameron Olsen

Co-Producer: Taryn Gates

Sound Design: Shubhi Sahni