Totem (2023)

This is a movie about culture in modern day Mexico, with one foot in the 21st century and one firmly in the land of their ancestors. It is also about family and anticipatory grief. The movie opens with a mother and daughter driving across a bridge. THe seven-year-old Sol and her mother engage in a rite of superstition, holding their breath and making a wish. Sol declares that her wish is for her father to live; her mother focuses on the road ahead. The movie goes on to follow a day in the life of Sol and her family as they prepare a birthday party for her sick father-—an event that’s gravity sets in as the hours pass—both a celebration of another year and a preemptive, heartfelt sending off. Presented largely from the point of view of two children, this film immerses the audience in a boisterous family gathering, where a handful of adult siblings have gathered to celebrate the birthday of their brother, a painter named Tonatiuh. Tona is barely seen for most of the movie, confined to a back room where he refuses visitors. Naturally, this confuses his daughter, who spends the day wandering the house alone, building a pillow fort in the living room or collecting snails in the garden, and wondering why her father doesn't love her. There are several things that sink in as you watch this calm and collected depiction of "A Day In The Live" of Sol. One is that this family will remember Toma after he is gone and his memory will be a blessing--but that Sol is not being prepared for the death of her father, and that will be a trauma to unpack later. The other is that a culture that revolves around food, family, and friends has a lot to recommend it. This is quietly lovely and well worth watching.