Totem

Cert 12

March 13th 2025

 Winner – Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Berlin International Film Festival 2023

Winner – Golden Firebird Award, Hong Kong International Film Festival 2023  

Director: Lila Avilés

Cast: Naíma Sentíes, Monserrat Marañon, Marisol Gasé, Saori Gurza

Country:   Mexico, Denmark, France          Spanish (English subtitles)     95 mins

UK release date: February 2023

In a bustling Mexican household, seven-year-old Sol is swept up in a whirlwind of preparations for the birthday party of her father Tonatiuh, led by her mother, aunts and other relatives. As the day goes on, building to an event both anticipated and dreaded, Sol begins to understand the gravity of the celebration this year and watches as her family does the same.

“Writer-director Lila Avilés’s tender film, told largely through the eyes of a seven-year-old girl, is a minutely observed ensemble piece in which grief and celebration go hand in hand.” Wendy Ide, The Guardian

“With palpable tenderness, Avilés has created a story that delicately materializes the complexity of grief in different stages, and at different ages and packages it for safe keeping. It is restrained, poignant, and the type of slice-of-life film that is absolutely precious to the portrayal of the human condition.” Peyton Robinson for Roger Ebert