10 · 25 · 23 A Return to the Idea of the House: Lila Avilés Presents TÓTEM at the 21st FICM Share with twitter Share with facebook Share with mail Copy to clipboard Gustavo R. Gallardo The film Tótem was screened at the 21st Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) with the director Lila Avilés and a large part of her cast and crew in attendance. Naima Santíes, Lila Avilés In Tótem, Sol, a seven-year-old girl, spends the day at her grandfather's house helping her aunts with preparations for a surprise party for her father. As the day progresses, the bonds that hold the family together will be put to the test. Sol will understand that after that night, her world will change drastically. "The film comes from something very personal. Luckily, I knew that my second film was going to be Tótem since I made La camarista (2018) (...) I knew I wanted to do something like this," said the filmmaker. "I wanted to return to the idea of the house, how we inhabit space, how we inhabit ourselves, how we communicate and how we don't communicate," explained the director. Cast of Tótem Afterwards, the filmmaker explained that the bonds between two people can be so strong that an event such as death can leave a mark on people, especially the "death of understanding," which she explained as a turning point for those who suffer from it. The film stars Naíma Sentíes, Montserrat Marañón, Marisol Gasé, Lukas Urquijo, Saori Gurza, Teresita Sánchez, Mateo García Elizondo, Juan Francisco Maldonado, Iazúa Larios, and Alberto Amador, and will represent Mexico for a possible nomination in the category of Best International Film at the 2024 Academy Awards.
