Tótem

2023, Lila Avilés, Mexico/France/Denmark/Netherlands

Lila Avilés’ second film is about a family on the verge of grief told through the eyes of its youngest member.

Over the course of a single day, seven-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes) waits anxiously for her father’s birthday party to begin in earnest. She tries to occupy herself with the pottering and busy-work of a bored child but, more than anything, she just wants to see her dad. Meanwhile, the adults are increasingly concerned as the man of the hour procrastinates and finds reasons to avoid showing face. Does Sol understand the reason that everyone around her is so anxious?

Tótem is a sensitive depiction of a family trying to navigate loss and a child grappling to understand mortality. Avilés deftly dramatises the dynamics within that family, her filmmaking keeping one foot in realism without ever losing sight of the more whimsical worldview of her young protagonist. It is sweet and hopeful but steadfast in its emotional honesty, anchored by a beautiful performance by Sentíes.

“There are worlds inside worlds in “Tótem,” a soulful drama populated by an array of creatures, some with two legs and sad smiles, others with feathers, fur and shells.”—Manohla Dargis, The New York Times