TÓTEM World Cinema

Mexico’s Oscar^® submission for Best International Feature

Following her humanist drama, THE CHAMBERMAID (AFI FEST 2018), Lila Avilés’ sophomore feature unfurls in a single chaotic day. Filtered through the perspective of an observant seven-year-old protagonist Sol (sensitively portrayed by newcomer Naíma Sentíes), TÓTEM follows an extended family busily preparing for the birthday party of its young patriarch and Sol’s father, Tonatiuh. Drifting around the lived-in family home brimming with memories, Sol witnesses the disarray of adults and cousins shuffling about and busying themselves, seemingly concealing the unspoken absence of her father, who is frailly tucked away in his bedroom. As night falls, candles are blown and wishes are murmured into thin air, Sol must learn to prepare for the kind of loss seven-year-olds shouldn’t have to contend with. Framed by intimate handheld camerawork and warm hues, Avilés sidesteps indulgent sentimentality in favor of the quietly mundane, weaving a family tapestry marked not by grief and heartbreak, but by love and tenderness. –Anna Li