October (Peruvian Film)

Original Title: Octubre
Release date: October 7, 2010
Director: Daniel Vega, Diego Vega
Screenplay by: Daniel Vega, Diego Vega
Cast: Bruno Odar, Gabriela Velásquez, Carlos Gassos, Maria Carbajal

Shot in the heart of Lima, October is a simple portrait of people leaving and surviving in Peru. We have a peculiar man loaning money to the people in need of it. A lonely woman devoted to her religion, yet longing to be loved by a real man. An old man so in love that he would do anything for it. In all of this, a child is thrown and things start to change.

Octubre was very solemn, melancholic and just plain; extremely plain. As a Peruvian-born and somewhat Peru-raised person, I didn’t really identify what I was seeing, that was not the Peru I remember. Sure, it has been over 10 years since I was there, but I thought that things had become better. Yet, in the poverty shown in the movie, I sometimes could remember and have “aha” moments.

The film won two critically acclaimed awards at the Cannes festival, so I was very much looking forward to experiencing why. While watching the movie, as well as instantly after it, I couldn’t get it. I was left with a sense of something missing. There was really no real plot in there, just the aspect of a bigger story. After a couple of days, I found myself thinking about the movie and being amazed about its simplicity, which is what makes it good. It doesn’t try to be flashy or too heavy as to make a movie that gets stuck in your mind. Octubre just is, with no intentions of being great nor inspiring, it just is as it is. A movie about people struggling in today’s Lima, doing their best to survive.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Julyssa

Music is all I do: I work in music, I write about music, I listen to music.

9 Responses

  1. Camiele White says:

    Hi there! I’ve a question, sabe algunas películas latinas (como esta) que están bastante buenas? Las otras reseñas en este sitio no tienen ninguna cosa positiva para decir de este género. Me parece que la mayoría en este sitio no aprecia películas latinas, qué no? Necesito una opinión sin parcialidad. Could ya help me out…PLEASE >.<

    • julili says:

      @Camiele White, Lol, no es que odiemos peliculas latinas, la verdad es que el cinema latino no nos apeteze del tanto? En vez en cuando, cuando una pelicula latina gana recognición el mundo entero es que me acuerdo de ver algo latino. Si no fuera por mi padre, con las justas veo algo.

      Mi problema es que yo estoy enterrada en la cultura Koreana. Haci que si voy a ver una pelicula latina, necesito que esa pelicula me de en la cabeza para que yo me de cuenta.

      Claro que hay buenas, hermosas, extraordinarias peliculas latinas. Octubre es un buen ejemplo, tambien Sin Nombre. Otras peliculas que se me vienen a la cabeza son algunas peruanas, mexicanas, colombianas. Necesito buscarlas porque la memoria me falta con los nombres.

      Me imagino que tu prefiers peliculas indies?

      Btw, si tanto te encanta la cultura latina, escribe pues! Escribe reseñas de musica y peliculas para YAM!

  2. Camiele White says:

    @julili, Yeah…I should do that, shouldn’t I? Pero no ten el tiempo para escribirlas cómo yo quisiera. Pero, acuerdo contigo…hay muchos pelis hermosos que me encanta (pero la mayoría son pelis mexicanos de Alfonso Cuarón o del Toro, obviamente…HaHa). Encanta pelis brasileros, también. Y, sí. Soy una fan de pelis indies…me parecen mas interesantes, mucho mas honestos.

    Anyway, supongo que debo intentar escribir reseñas si no me gústalas en este sitio; estás cierta.

    Thanks for the advice. :)

    • julili says:

      @Camiele We really do need someone that wants to push a little for Latin cinema/music. Our reviews aren’t long and you don’t need to analyse like a professional. You just need to state your honest opinion.

      If you watched some stuff that’s interesting, send us a review! Prove us wrong! hahaha

  3. yam magazine says:

    And this week’s Spanish lessons go to~~~
    you guys. xD

  1. November 24, 2013

    […] It seems like it’s been a really long time since we’ve posted the trailer of a “foreign language” film with English subtitles, but checking up on our pals at Cinencuentro, I was surprised to run into the trailer of El Mudo (transl. The Mute Man), the latest film by the Vega brothers, Diego and Daniel, who made a name for themselves after winning Un Certain Regard at Cannes for their film Octubre. […]

  2. June 5, 2014

    […] Aunque esperaba más de la cinta, me gustó más que Octubre. […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.