Leticia Shobo Manager's Journal
Director Lila Avilés's "Tótem"
This is a film that brilliantly depicts the moment a seven-year-old girl experiences the eternal farewell to her beloved father and begins to live in a world without him. (Mexican film)
The protagonist is Sol. Her father, Tona, is recuperating from an illness at his grandfather's house. To cheer him up, relatives and friends gather at the grandfather's house for a party on what everyone assumes will be his last birthday. The film captures that single day.
Sol goes around asking her aunts if she can see her dad, but she is only told that he is resting so he can attend the party that night, so she cannot see him. Something feels strange... Sol begins to sense that Tona's condition is not good and that he might die.
Tona's sister brings a medium into the house to exorcise evil spirits, and siblings argue about Tona's medical expenses; the atmosphere in the house is restless. The camera moves around the large house as if watching a home video, picking up fragments of what is happening in various corners of the home. The gaze is directed not only at the people but also at the dogs, cats, birds and insects in the garden, the goldfish given by an uncle, and the plants. By capturing the life force of living things on screen, the fact that life and death exist and progress simultaneously emerges. Tona's condition is serious, requiring constant care, and he is forced to live apart from his wife and children, but the hustle and bustle of this large family and the premonition of death cover the house. Naima Sentíes, who had no previous acting experience, plays the bewildered and lonely Sol with honesty and delicacy.
Due to his pain, Tona initially did not want to attend the party, but with the support of his family and caregivers, he participates. The party in the garden at the end of the film is a festive highlight, and the Latin American temperament is surprising. There is a sign of the end of a life drifting through the lively family. The gaze of the young girl Sol, who keenly senses this, is heartbreaking as she seems to be preparing to accept an unknown sorrow.
And in the final scene, Sol stares at the candles on the birthday cake made for Tona. The flickering flames. The camera gently watches her. Sol's expression, as if she has accepted living in a world without her beloved Tona, is truly wonderful.
There is a short but extremely impressive scene after that, but please see it for yourself in the theater. It is likely to become an unforgettable film.
● Leticia Shobo Gallery Information
8/10 (Sat) - 8/18 (Sun) Taiken Book Center Used Book Fair
8/21 (Wed) - 9/1 (Sun) "My Favorite Color" Saori Yamanaka Picture Book Exhibition
9/4 (Wed) - 9/15 (Sun) Chitose Nakamura Copperplate Print Exhibition
⭐️ New Arrivals
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Samatsuji Kenkyu vol. 9 "What is Marriage?" (700 yen)
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GAZETTE 4 "Alone" (Seikosha/with bonus) 1,980 yen
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