TÓTEM, Mexico’s proposal for the Oscars, hits Romanian theaters as of Friday

“A luminous, soul-nourishing microcosm built on deep love in the face of imminent pain, the film reveals itself to the viewer through the charged interactions between its characters.” (The Playlist), “Tótem builds a house of life, a route from genesis to a tangible end. It emphasizes the idea of ​​presence felt everywhere, even when the rooms remain empty.” (Liternet) and “A film of unexpected beauty that uses the main character as a conduit to explore a family navigating an ocean of love, pain, innocence and mortality.” (Slant Magazine) are some of the words critics use to describe TÓTEM, the next film distributed by August Film, which will be released on Friday, October 13, in cinemas across the country.

Lila Avilés’ second feature follows in the footsteps of her debut film, becoming not only a constant presence in international festival selections around the world, but also Mexico’s Oscar submission. Described by Lila as “an ode to life and a tribute to family, friends and love”, the film follows the diverse and complex, in its apparent simplicity, way a family copes with the imminent loss of one of their own.

The most difficult question TÓTEM poses to viewers is “how do you talk to a child about death, especially when she is going to sacrifice one of the most important people in her life?”. The answer is complex, difficult, and often avoided, like most challenges that take you out of your comfort zone. Nevertheless, it is a necessary dialogue, so August Film proposes in the following days a series of 6 special screenings, in 6 different cities in the country, followed at the end by a constructive dialogue, together with a psychotherapist.

“I admit that I was excited about the film’s international success and the prospect of the Best Foreign Film Oscar on the horizon. For me, however, TÓTEM remains a very personal subject, an assumed film that had the courage to speak about the revelation of innocence in relation to death. Either this joining, though it may seem cruel, I believe it takes courage and I hope it will lead to an even greater appreciation for life. Understanding and accepting that death is a part of life, that everything has a beginning and an end, I think it makes us free to enjoy the time we have,” said Matei Truța, co-founder and managing partner of August Film.

The special screenings take place on Wednesday, October 11, in Bucharest (Cinema City AFI Cotroceni, 19:00, special guest: Ion Bucur) and Cluj (Cinema Victoria, 20:00, special guest: Robertina Ciobanu), on Thursday, October 12, in Timișoara (Cinema Victoria, 20:30, special guest: Ioana Chirilov), Saturday 14 October, in Brașov (Cinema City AFI Brașov, 19:00, special guest Ana-Maria Fekete), Sunday 15 October, in Iași (Cinema Ateneu, 15 :00, special guest: Andreea Feraru) and Thursday, October 19, in Constanta (Cinema Jean Constantin, 19:00, special guest: Alina Telea). Also on October 11, the film can be seen on the Cinema City network, in 21 cities in the country, from 19:00.