Octubre

Clemente is a stoic private moneylender with a penchant for prostitutes. He finds a new born baby but the prostitute mother has walked away. The social worker convinces him to take in the baby. As he tries to find the mother, his neighbor Sofía helps take care of the baby. Sofía is religious devoted to worshiping Our Lord of the Miracles which the city celebrates in October.

The characters are played with calculated deliberate distance and stoicism. It makes them hard to connect with. It becomes a grind to wait for the emotions and intensity. The story takes place in the poor part of Lima but it doesn't have that energy. The static feel is an artistic choice which doesn't excite me.

The film is called October because its action takes place during this month when the faithful people of Lima pray to the Lady of Miracles for a little help with their more, or even more modest lives. I must confess, this is the first Peruvian film I have ever seen and I was very impressed. Everything from plot to camera work to acting and to capturing the local element was - in my opinion - first class. The film has heart and it has (quite subtle) humour too. It has realism but it has hope too. The characters are well defined, no good guys or bad guys, just a bunch of human beings living their lives hoping for their break - in many cases amounting to a miracle. Their lives are not easy but this is far from a sad film. Somehow you end up liking the heroes (more like anti-heroes), feeling for them and eagerly waiting to see what is going to happen next. No Bruce Willis fighting mighty terrorists here but rather human beings fighting their condition, their conditioning and whatever life throws at them. Yes, miracles do happen all around us, but some of us recognize them, while others are just incapable to. Heart-warming film! (I have just re-read this review. My words don't do it justice. Go and see the film!)