Octubre is a lauded new Peruvian film that was recently at New Directors/New Films and has been at multiple other international festivals; it is the first feature of a team of brothers—writers/directors Daniel and Diego Vega Vidal. It’s a film of few words, so to speak, simple, with not too much fuss made. The film begins with Clemente (Bruno Odar), a moneylender who’s trusted and known in Lima as the pawnbroker’s son. He lives alone, visits prostitutes often, and leads a quiet, austere life. That life is disrupted when he finds a baby in a basket has been left in his home. We learn that it’s the baby of a hooker and that he is presumably the father. While he searches for the mother, he hires Sofia (Gabriela Velasquez), his lonely and kind-hearted neighbor, to look after the baby. Thrown into the mix is Don Fico (Carlos Gasols), an old man getting by on the street s of Lima and trying to save his money (he uses Clemente as his bank). A makeshift and unusual family is created in Clemente’s house, but he seems quite unaware of it, unfamiliar as he is with real human connection, beyond cold business interactions.
Framing the narrative is the Procession of the Lord of Miracles, a religious tradition that takes place in Lima through the month of October. Faith and religion are represented strongly—Sofia marches in the Procession and calls the baby Milagritos (little miracle), and the Virgin Mary is on a significant piece of money paid to Clemente. But the filmmakers treat religion as a fact of life and an important tradition in Peru, a realistic aspect of the society, rather than making a specific statement about it. The film has great humour, subtle and natural comedic moments that enrich the somber environment, as well as a strong attention to sex and desire, also portrayed in a simple and matter-of-fact way.
There is a certain economy about this film; nothing is shown unnecessarily, every shot has a reason. But that reason may not have anything to do with the plot, nor is every shot rigidly structured, some of the best seem to have been captured almost accidentally. This style of film making creates a great nuance that enriches the characters—the well-framed and bare cinematography often reveals something about the characters and lends itself to the overall feeling of the film. The audience is often not shown things they may expect to see, rather we hear something off-screen, or deduce what has just happened without actually seeing it. Again, the filmmakers do not waste time with unnecessary images, only images that have relevance to the overall statements of the film.
Do not expect too much from this film in terms of action or even plot, it is focused on character and place more than story. Nor do we get a particularly satisfying ending, it’s rather abrupt. But if one takes it as it is, Octubre is an enjoyable film, careful and deliberate, a small yet poignant portrayal of people coming together, moving beyond basic survival towards a greater hope, perhaps with some help from little miracles.
Opens May 6th in NYC
In Spanish with English subtitles
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