Tótem
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lila Avilés
Screenplay by	Lila Avilés
Produced by	Lila Avilés Tatiana Graullera Louise Riousse
Starring	Naíma Sentíes Monserrat Marañon Marisol Gasé Saori Gurza
Cinematography	Diego Tenorio
Edited by	Omar Guzmán
Music by	Thomas Becka
Production companies	Limerencia Films Laterna Film Paloma Productions
Distributed by	Alpha Violet
Release dates	20 February 2023 (2023-02-20) (Berlinale) 30 November 2023 (2023-11-30) (Mexico)
Running time	95 minutes
Countries	Mexico Denmark France
Language	Spanish
Box office	$165,444[1][2]

Tótem is a 2023drama film written and directed byLila Avilés. The film depicts the story of seven-year-old Sol, who is spending the day at her grandfather's home, for a surprise party for Sol's father, Tonatiuh. As daylight fades, Sol comes to understand that her world is about to change dramatically.^[3] It was selected to compete for theGolden Bear at the73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 20 February 2023.^[4] It is a co-production between Mexico, Denmark and France.

It received critical acclaim and was named one of the top five international films of 2023 by theNational Board of Review.^[5] The film was selected as the Mexican entry forBest International Feature Film at the96th Academy Awards;^[6] it made the shortlist of 15 entries from which the nominees were selected.^[7][8]

Sol, a seven-year-old girl, goes to her grandfather's home, where her aunts Nuri and Alejandra are throwing a birthday party for her father. It is probably his last, so in a sense it is also a farewell ceremony. With the onset of dusk, an unfamiliar and unrestrained atmosphere takes over, breaking the family bonds. For Sol, the world is about to change as she learns the essence of letting go and feels the breath of life.

• Naíma Sentíes as Sol
• Montserrat Marañón [es] as Nuri
• Marisol Gasé [es] as Alejandra
• Saori Gurza as Esther
• Teresita Sánchez as Cruz
• Mateo García Elizondo as Tonatiuh
• Juan Francisco Maldonado as Napo
• Iazua Larios as Lucía
• Alberto Amador as Roberto

On 7 July 2020, it was reported that Lila Avilés was planning for her new film,Tótem.^[9] The film was among five upcoming feature projects to receive grants of€53,000 (US$60,000) from the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF), administered by theInternational Film Festival Rotterdam.^[10]

Tótem was produced by Limerencia Films and Laterna, in co-production with Danish firm Paloma Productions and France's Alpha Violet Production, who are also distributors. It is the second feature film of Lila Avilés afterThe Chambermaid. Naíma Sentíes as Sol, Montserrat Marañon as Nuri, Marisol Gasé as Alejandrato and Mateo García Elizondo as Sol's father Tonatiuh are cast in main roles.^[11]

The film had its world premiere on 20 February 2023 at the73rd Berlin International Film Festival. In April it competed in the47th Hong Kong International Film Festival,^[12] where it won the Firebird Award for the best film in Young Cinema Competition World category.^[13] It was invited to Horizons section of57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it was screened on 30 June 2023.^[14] It was also invited to the27th Lima Film Festival in Competition fiction section, where it was screened on August 11, 2023,^[15] and won the Best Picture award in the section.^[16] It was screened at the2023 Atlantic International Film Festival in the World Cinema section on 17 September 2023.^[17] The film also made it to Latin Horizons section of the71st San Sebastián International Film Festival held in September 2023.^[18] The film competed at the2023 Calgary International Film Festival in 'International Narrative Competition' for Best International Narrative Feature award and had screening on September 22.^[19]

In October, the film was invited to the2023 Vancouver International Film Festival in the Showcase section and was screened on 1 October;^[20] it was screened at the2023 Festival du nouveau cinéma in International Panorama on 7 October;^[21] and at the2023 BFI London Film Festival in the Strand section under the "Love" theme on 9 October.^[22] It competed in theChicago International Film Festival in International Feature Competition and had screening on 14 October;^[23] later on 20 October, it was screened at theVienna International Film Festival in Features section.^[24] It was also selected in 20th Latin Beat Film Festival in the36th Tokyo International Film Festival and was screened on 27 October 2023.^[25][26]

The film opened in Mexican theatres on 30 November 2023.^[27] Sideshow andJanus Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, scheduling it for a limited theatrical release in New York on January 26, 2024 and in Los Angeles on February 6, followed by a nationwide expansion weeks later.^[28] In January 2024,Salma Hayek Pinault,José Tamez and Siobhan Flynn came on board the film as executive producers through their companyVentanarosa.^[29]

On thereview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 97% based on 77 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus says: "A heartfelt film that tells a poignant story without straying into sentimentality,Tótem is a life-affirming triumph for writer-director Lila Avilés."^[30] OnMetacritic, it has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[31]

Stephen Saito for Moveable Fest wrote in review that "A thrillingly vital family portrait about a clan that does its very best to celebrate someone they’re about to mourn.^[32] Jonathan Romney reviewing forScreen International wrote, "This thematically rich piece offers a set of vivid character studies, while musing on life, death and time – largely from a child’s perspective."^[33] Marina Ashioti writing inLittle White Lies stated, "A tender spirit of warmth and levity permeates the screen, sustaining a buoyancy that keeps the film from sinking into mawkish waters."^[34] Fabien Lemercier reviewing for Cineuropa praised the film and wrote, "It’s a film full of life and soul and a modestly deceptive work, for its significance is enormous."^[35]

• List of Mexican films of 2023
• List of Mexican submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
• List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

Wikimedia Commons has media related toTotem (2023).

• Tótem atIMDb
• Tótem at Berlinale
• Tótem at Alpha Violet

• 2023 films
• 2023 drama films
• 2023 Mexican films
• 2023 French films
• 2020s Spanish-language films
• Best Picture Ariel Award winners
• Danish drama films
• French drama films
• Films about birthdays
• Films about families
• Films about father–daughter relationships
• Films about mother–daughter relationships
• Mexican drama films
• Spanish-language drama films
• Spanish-language French films

• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
• CS1 Mexican Spanish-language sources (es-mx)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2023
• Template film date with 2 release dates
• Commons category link from Wikidata