Tótem

Seven-year-old Sol (Naima Senties), together with her equally loving and temperamental, is preparing a birthday party of which they are not sure they will be able to celebrate. The birthday boy, her terminally ill father Tona (Mateo García Elizondo), has been refusing visits all day. While the adults are busy, Sol is left to her own. Without losing the radiant quality that her name evokes, she braves a whirlwind of emotions and clings to elusive details such as seeing a cricket walk across the garage floor or quizzing Siri on what no one else will tell her. Director Lila Avilés excels in her strong depiction of grief as an erratic process, eschewing sentimentality. Despite the bleakness of its topic, Tótem is a film full of love and life, and the inevitable chaos that comes with it.

“Noisy, joyous and as exhausting as the multi-generational bash at the heart of its story, Tótem packs a hefty wallop for a film that’s only 95 minutes, and should further solidify Avilés’ reputation as an auteur with a unique vision and remarkable skills with actors.” – The Hollywood Reporter