Totem is a beautiful gem of a film. It's small in scope but enormous in heart, passion and human empathy. Set over one day it marks director Lila Aviles as a talent of great significance and promise. The film takes place in Mexico, mostly in one house setting. Seven year old Sol is being taken to her grandfather's house to celebrate the birthday of her father, Tona. Sadly Tona is critically ill and as the film goes on we get the feleing his days are numbered. The first half of the film is mainly an observance of the work being done by Sol's aunts as they frantically prepare for everything that needs to be done for the party. Sol is wide eyed and smart and takes it all in. The second half shows the party and the many friends who gather to celebrate Tona. It's a joyous occasion but one that is also bittersweet. There is not much plot here, but this superb film does a great job at the showing the joys and pains of life and the vital human connections we share. It's a cast probably not well known, but they do a superb job in a truly wonderful film.

It captures certain messy and frantic family dynamics well but it doesn't add up to much more than "family is complicated and death it hard".

I enjoyed the first film Lila Avilés gave us, but this one didn't connect for whatever reason. We're looking at the world through a kids eyes, but why do I care about the characters and why is so little told to us about each one. The sense of gloom wasn't enough to bridge the gap of why I should be caring about these people. Frustrating, in large part, due to the way the film pulls together well at the end. Didn't understand the last few shots and perhaps I didn't get the Mexican Feature either! Final Score: 5/10

Lamentablemente, tengo muy malos recuerdos de las fiestas familiares en casa de los abuelos cuando era niño.

Through the gaze of the little protagonist, the film immerses us in a special day, framing it like a photo in the 4:3 shooting format (both oppressive and not), and makes us feel empathy for her extended family. Second work by the Mexican Lila Avilés, it is an interesting choral fresco, bittersweet, poetic, touching that celebrates life and death, love and art in all their forms and connections. An intimate, personal film that feeds on the bonds between the different individuals of the group; which rests on the variable and indefinite characteristics of human relationships when faced with harsh and irreversible changes; and which here are filtered through the expressive eyes of the little protagonist Naíma Sentíes, the true soul and driving force of the story (despite her very young age, she seems very mature and more sensitive than some adults), catalyst and spur of noble intentions and acts of generous love . The director identifies with her, suspends judgments on facts and people, and invites the viewer to participate emotionally in the events - sad and joyful at the same time. In short, a delicate and sensitive film that surprises and involves. A portrait full of nuances in which every viewer can recognize insights into their own life and human and family experience.

Enjoyable, little, charming film

It's like Monsoon Wedding but a Mexican birthday...saddest birthday ever.

There is a moment in our childhoods when we find out our lives are finite. Be it the death of a grandparent, family friend, or even a pet, we look at things differently once we know that we will not be here forever. That look of acknowledgment is both heartbreaking and masterfully shown in the final moments of Lila Avilés' Tótem. Tótem, a film about a celebration of life, also shows the audience the death of innocence through the eyes of Sol. Tótem begins with Sol, played beautifully by Naíma Sentíes, and her mother preparing to go to a party for her dad. The pair are rehearsing a routine that they will perform and the lightheartedness of these scenes feels like we are just watching a parent and their child hanging out. As the audience, we are excited about their day and ride with them as they drive to her grandfather's house for the party. What Lila Avilés masterfully does in this movie is give us a fly-on-a-wall perspective of the events as they unfold. The audience sits back and watches as the preparations for the party advance and hit some snags along the way. Through the eyes of Sol we see how everything is prepared with love and maybe more love than before. Watching these scenes sent me back to my childhood of arriving at family parties early and trying to keep myself busy while everyone was cooking or setting up decorations. The party that the family is preparing for is for Sol's father, Tonatiuh, played by Mateo García Elizondo, who is terminally ill and is being taken care of by his sisters. Sol keeps asking to see her father but is told that he is resting and needs his strength for later that night. As a parent you sympathize with young Sol wanting to be with her father. You can understand the importance of that quality time that she wants with him. This young girl just wants to be with her dad. As a member of the audience, the preparation for the party starts to feel different. The conversations between the adults make you wonder what kind of party this is going to be. We hear the burdens that are on the sisters and how they are doing their best just to keep their sanity. The third act in Tótem is when it all starts setting in. As much as the audience is enjoying the party for Tonatiuh, we start to realize that this may be his last party. Avilés takes us all on this journey of life that starts at the beginning of the day and nearly ends at the dawn of the next. It is at this moment, like Sol, when our lives change. Final Thoughts: Tótem is a beautiful movie about the celebration of life and the death of childhood innocence. As the audience, we are a fly on the wall as we watch this family prepare for a party for Tonatiuh, Sol's dad. Being in the household and seeing all the love and care feels intrusive at first but as the movie plays out we are pulled into the family's struggle and ride this emotional roller coaster with them. TóTem transforms the viewer by the end of the movie and may have you looking at life differently. Kid-Friendly: While the concept of death and dying might be too much for little ones this movie does make a good point to appreciate those around you. Being that the young girl, Sol, is the main character of the movie, some kids might be able to relate to her need for attention and wanting to be with her father. Violence: There is no violence in the movie.

El mayor encanto de esta película es el despertar la empatía y curiosidad del espectador, narrando en forma casi documentada, evitando los típicos y gastados clichés del género, rematando con un final misterioso que no se molesta en dar respuestas. Una de las mejores recientes propuestas del cine mexicano