Preparations for a birthday celebration in a multi-generational household are accompanied by confusion, bickering, and the sounds of children and animals. But joy is mixed with a quiet sorrow, for this will probably be the celebrant’s last birthday. Director Lila Avilés invites us into a busy home that feels more like a vibrant ecosystem than a human dwelling. Her tirelessly roaming film hews to the perspective of seven-year-old Sol, who despite her small size sometimes sees farther than the adults. With Tótem, it is not enough to just peek inside – one must tune into the film’s natural tempo of everyday life, in which the hours flow like the seasons of the year.
Ondřej Pavlík
95 min / Color, DCP
Director Lila Avilés
/ Screenplay Lila Avilés
/ Dir. of Photography Diego Tenorio
/ Music Thomas Becka
/ Sound Guido Berenblum
/ Editor Omar Guzman
/ Art Director Nohemi Gonzalez Martinez
/ Producer Tatiana Graullera, Louise Riousse
/ Production Laterna
/ Coproduction Paloma Productions, Alpha Violet Production
/ Cast Naima Senties, Monserrat Maranon, Marisol Gase
/ Sales Alpha Violet
Lila Avilés (1982, Mexico City). Filmography: The Chambermaid (La Camarista, 2018), Eye Two Times Mouth (Ojo dos veces boca, 2023, short.), Tótem (2023).
Alpha Violet
47 avenue de la République, 750 11, Paris
France
Phone: +33 629 835 108
E-mail: [email protected]
First-hand brews throughout the year.
Be among the first to learn about upcoming events and other news. We only send the newsletter when we have something to say.
