León y Olvido

No one can accuse Xavier Bermúdez of cowardice. This sometimes funny, sometimes thrilling first movie can bring us an old idea about cinema: everything is as true as we could make it to happen. León has Down Syndrome but he's not a boy and suffers all the problems that an adolescent could have (girls, school, relationships with his relatives...) which is perhaps the first approach to that point of view that i have ever seen in a film. Olvido is another young regular girl and wants to live her life... though she doesn't know what she wants. The two characters perfectly know what they don't want to feel left, lonely, hopeless and to lose control of their lives but we are not alone in this world. We have brothers and sisters

Film was interesting for me because of (at least) one point it made: brother, Leon represents the failure or better the materialization of her, sister's bad luck. For Olvido in some way he, Leon, functions as her own "DOWN" syndrome, the burden she wants to get rid off. She is always depressed in comparison with Leon who has more "joie DE Vivre". So the question is: why is she trying to get rid off Leon? Why she, when sitting on bed and trying to commit a suicide and her attempt fails because her "russian roulette" didn't work out with first bullet, decides to kill Leon? Is not Leon some sort of "screen" for all her frustrations? Whenever something goes wrong for Olvido (her boyfriend leaves her, electricity turned off, suspension from job,failed suicide attempt ...) she projects her anger towards Leon. Isn't she the one who is always depressed (feeling down; sometimes with good reason, but with wrong solutions) and has "DOWN" syndrome?

Leon y Olvido in my opinion shows the gap between "normal" human being and mentally handicapped person in same way as for example Huitieme Jour did: mentally handicapped people don't take themselves so seriously as "normal" people take them, but former is even one step ahead of later - "normal" people transform their own "syndroms" (frustrations) to mentally handicapped, and if we go one step further: to Afro-Americans, Jews, Arabs,...

Xavier Bermudez, the director of this Spanish film has decided to make a film out of the relationship between an autistic boy and his sister. It is a strange story in which incest is not mentioned, yet it is clear to see, it is the basis of their relationship. Incest is something no one dares to talk about, yet, it is probably more prevalent than one can imagine.

If you haven't seen it, please stop reading now.

This is a film that is not for everybody because of what it depicts. The director is courageous in showing us this side of life that is incomprehensible, perhaps, to a so-called normal mind, but it happens, probably more than one suspects. The movie feels claustrophobic as we watch Leon and Olvido in their desperate situation.

Leon is an autistic young man who can't cope with life in institutions for people in his condition. Olvido is trying to make ends meet working as a sewing operator in a clothes factory. She is forced to bring Leon home and that's when her problems begins. Olvido's life goes into a tailspin because she can't cope with the problems Leon brings into it. Leon might be autistic, but has feelings and sexual cravings too.

Olvido contemplates killing Leon, but can't bring herself to do it; she is too decent to do anything like that. When things get so out of hand, she even tries to commit suicide. The final scene is enigmatic, at best. It's probably Olvido's escape from a life that has been unkind to her.

Marta Larralde, as Olvido is good, in a measured performance. Gillem Jimenez, who shows more intelligence than we give him credit for, is excellent in portraying the troubled youth. His class mates are also endearing because they all show they are quite happy with their lot.

The film is disturbing, but ultimately it will reward those with an open mind.

Xavier Bermúdez's refreshing and intense 'León y Olvido' goes against the stereotype that one may have of people suffering from Down's syndrome. At the heart of 'León y Olvido' is the story of two siblings. Olvido is a hard-working young lady who works as a seamstress to make ends meet. Upon the arrival of her younger brother, who has been repeatedly expelled from institutions her problems only increase. She sees her brother as a burden and neglects him while at the same time projected her frustration and anger with life towards him. The difficult situation only exacerbates when she loses her job. León, on the other hand, is an active, curious and bright young man who is like an adolescent interested in girls, school and learning new things while craving for his sister's affection. He loves her no matter what.

The theme of incest is gently touched but, in my opinion, some of the interpretations are quite extreme. I do not believe that neither León nor Olvido had sexual feelings for one another. Sexual feelings were something new for León and he has yet to learn how to interpret them. He would tease his sister with sexual jokes but that does not necessarily mean he wanted her. It was more a playful interaction between them. Olvido knows that her brother sees her as a sexual being and the bathtub scene suggests her finding comfort in that thought. I'm not suggesting that it is normal for two adult siblings to take a bath together and clearly Olvido is not mentally stable but suggesting that she had sexual feelings for León is a stretch too far.

The Andalusian oceanside location is captured brilliantly. Bermúdez does not go over the top with his technical equipments. Marta Larralde and Guillem Jiménez deliver spot on performances. Olvido could have ended up being a caricature demon sister but Larralde manages to exude her nuances making her a sympathetic soul while Jimenénez is a delight to watch on screen. He plays the part so naturally that it surprises me that this is his first movie.

'León y Olvido' is a sincere film that tells an important story, one that breaks stereotypical barriers. Moreover, there is a clever irony at the end of the film that reminds one of how life is full of surprises and how situations can cause our roles to reverse. A great debut by Bermúdez.