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Octubre review
:. Director: Daniel & Diego Vega
:. Starring: Bruno Odar, Gabriela Velásquez
:. Running Time: 1:23
:. Year: 2011
:. Country: Peru
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Like in most Latin American countries, beliefs have an important place in the Peruvian culture, whether it's embracing Catholicism, which was imposed by the Spaniards, or celebrating the ancient Incan myths. The Fall season is particularly known for its month-long celebrations, from Lake Titicaca's pagan festivities to Lima's Lord of Miracle processions. This is in October, during these times of high religious fervency, that Octubre takes place.
Bruno Odar plays Clemente, a lonely and cynical moneylender whose life gets turned upside down when he discovers a baby that had been left in his apartment by an intruder. One of his clients, Sofia (Gabriela Velásquez) comes to the rescue and soon Clemente finds himself surrounded by an unexpected new family.
While taking place in Lima, Octubre mostly centers on a small, impoverished neighborhood, avoiding any of the city's landmarks, an approach reminiscent of recent "Latin" films such as Biutiful and Tetro. The goal here is to give us a look at the authentic lives - and often struggles - of its residents rather than taking advantage of easy touristy clichés - and to be frank, having spent some time in Peru, Lima isn't exactly a postcard kind-of-town.
Advancing with a languid pace, Octubre is a minimalist work, almost as bare as Clemente's apartment where most of the film is taking place - writers/directors Daniel & Diego Vega only distillate what's needed in terms of character development, avoiding filmmaking artifices and drama while preserving a neutral tone. But this doesn't mean his movie is monotonous; Octubre brushes with the emotions of its characters without letting them burst onscreen - they are all kept inside but subtlety revealed, letting the spectators feel them rather than embrace them. The film also incorporates nice touches of deadpan humor - think Jim Jarmush (Dawn by Law, Broken Flowers) and John Lurie (Fishing with John).
Octubre's narrative could have been set anywhere else - this is a story of loneliness and survival but setting it up in Lima during the purple month adds a sense of hope, even implying miracles. The sudden arrival of the baby in Clemente's house could almost be seen as a miracle aiming at taking Clemente out of his loneliness and giving purpose to his life, which is mostly spent between his clients and the prostitutes he visits regularly. This is also the miracle Sofia might have been waiting for, having a kid and a husband. And for a while, this is what happens. Clemente reluctantly seems to slowly succumb to this new life, taking care of the baby and even letting an elderly couple moves in. What however the filmmakers tell us here is that miracles or opportunities shouldn't be taken for granted. If you don't embrace them, you might lose them, which is exactly what happens to Clemente.
The Vega's also brush a pretty bleak portrait of life in Peru. They show us a society that is barely surviving and mostly holding on thanks to religion and its message of hope. There is however no signs of pity here, all the characters fighting fate their own way while keeping their dignity. What's interesting in this film is that all characters have a certain appeal, whether they are honest or not, except for the central role, Clemente being the least likable character of this picture.
Whether it's using an "anti-hero" as a focus point, describing an austere lifestyle or ending on a not-so-positive and puzzling note, which leaves more questions than answers, we are close from the vision brought by Peruvian exports, Claudia Llosa's Madeinusa and Milk of Sorrow. As getting Peruvian films on our shores is a pretty rare event, we can't assert that these films offer a definitive representation of what life in Peru is - from my personal experience it looks quite representative though. However, in terms of cinema, it seems to at least define a trend with the emergence of filmmakers embracing tactfully social commentary, dark comedy and delivering strong entries that match the works of the finest European and American cineastes.
Fred Thom
 Movie Reviews: Latin American Films
Reviews 2012 - present
Reviews 1998 - 2012
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