By John Corrado
In his coming-of-age film Olmo, Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke finds the right balance between enjoyable portrait of bratty adolescence, and heavier, more dramatic scenes, telling a small but nuanced father-son story. There’s also some star power behind the film, having been produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment.
The titular Olmo (Aivan Uttapa) is a 14-year-old Mexican-American kid living in New Mexico circa 1979. He is required to help care for his father Nestor (Gustavo Sánchez Parra), who has become paralyzed and bedridden due to multiple sclerosis. Olmo tries to pass the care-taking duties off to his older sister Ana (Rosa Armendariz), but their mother Cecilia (Andrea Suárez Paz) intervenes, and insists they split responsibility.
One night, Olmo is put in charge, when mom has to go to work. It also happens to be the same night that he gets invited to a party by Nina (Melanie Frometa), the “goddess” – as he calls her – who lives across from him. Eimbcke’s film unfolds across this day, and is largely carried by solid performances from young actors Utappa and Diego Olmedo, as Olmo’s friend Miguel, who comes over to visit and tags along.
Olmo can be downright nasty to his dad at times, driven by a child’s pent up resentments, but Utappa navigates the role well, making him believable as a 14-year-old kid still figuring himself out. Sánchez Parra also does strong work as the dad, who is mostly confined to his bed.
With its tight, limited narrative timeframe and close attention to period detail, Olmo really feels like a collection of memories from a particular day that became integral to a young person’s life. After a lot of emotional ups and downs, where the film ends up is pretty touching.
The Joy of Movies 