‘Olmo’ Is a Bracingly Bittersweet Gem About Growing Up

Coming-of-age movies frequently follow a path as rigid as other film genres, despite protagonists in the throes of rapid hormonal shifts, painful self-awareness, existential questioning, and general ambivalence. As with an investigative crime drama sticking to a set of familiar plot points and characters, the coming-of-age film is expected to include at least two of the following: a love interest, the best friend, annoying parents, the need for a car or a ride, and a party. All of these elements are to be found in the new indie feature “Olmo.” Yet despite these tropes, the film is a small genre gem. Director Fernando Eimbcke centers his picture on a Mexican-American family at New Mexico in 1979 and the colorful, sun-baked setting, bilingual dialogue, and cultural details go a long way to making those other elements feel less fresh. Like most coming-of-age movies, it is also a comedy-drama, and Mr. Eimbcke grounds the mostly lighthearted story in real-life family tensions and working class worries. Ultimately, though, it’s the game cast that wins one over, with adolescent Aivan Uttapa heading a group of Latin American actors and actresses who combine comedy and gravity with aplomb.The hero on track to maturation is eponymous Olmo, a 14-year-old living with his parents and sister in a small ranch house in a dry, dusty neighborhood on the other side of the tracks. His father, Nestor, is a bed-ridden man with multiple sclerosis. When we first see Olmo, he is interrupted in the middle of a sexual fantasy by the voice of his father calling for his help. Later, when Nestor attempts to teach Olmo about the inner workings of a stereo, the expectations, exasperations, and masculine power dynamics between a father and a son are well-observed, as is the overall exploration of paternal and parental helplessness. Eloquently portrayed by actor Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Nestor is a man seething with frustration and anger at his condition yet also a father and husband who is grateful, patient, and loving. Early on in the film, Mr. Eimbcke boldly drops the light tone to establish the pressures of caring for a disabled loved one. In a sharply staged scene, Nestor, seated in a wheelchair, is cleaned by his wife Cecilia after a mishap while Olmo and his older sister Ana assist. Except for a few instructions from Cecilia, everyone is silent, with the kids frequently turning their faces away, indicating the strained relations between the four family members and the home’s aggrieved atmosphere. A little later, when Olmo is assigned by his mother to watch over his father by himself that evening, the boy protests with “Shouldn’t an adult be in charge?” His father responds with “I’m in charge.” The heartbreaking irony and knottiness of this exchange are an example of the often insightful screenplay by the director and his co-writer Vanesa Garnica.Unsurprisingly, the film’s plot revolves around Olmo and his tubby best friend Miguel (a fantastic Diego Olmedo) being invited to a party by hot neighbor Nina (the wry, alluring Melanie Frometa). But Olmo’s duties as a caregiver get in the way, leading him to endeavor to have his uncle and later his sister look after Nestor. In between these attempts, the two boys hang around and generally behave like the kids they still are, despite Olmo’s lanky height and Miguel’s sensitive intelligence. An amusing scene sees Olmo teach his friend some dance moves, which later at the party bloom into a full dance sequence set to the disco classic “A Fifth of Beethoven” from “Saturday Night Fever.” References to the 1977 iconic film pop up regularly, not least of which is its young main character’s need to escape his oppressive home life. In addition to disco, the evocative soundtrack features rock songs by Mexican bands as well as more traditional Latin rhythms, while the score by Giosuè Greco effectively deploys an accordion on occasion. These exuberant, seductive sounds combine with comedy to create an irreverent vibe, like with many a teenager, yet dramatic heaviness and emotional consequences are never far away. Indeed, some viewers might find the humor distasteful and incongruous, such as in a scene when Olmo and Miguel unwittingly crash a home-hosted wake. Furthermore, Mr. Eimbcke doesn’t sugarcoat the family’s behavior, with Olmo and Nestor in particular saying and doing some hurtful, even cruel things. The weight of their words and actions, though, is what gives the film added power and thematic truth. As the director states in press notes, “Families can be absurd.”While the third act introduces a bit of unconvincing melodrama in an apparent effort to paint all the family members as selfish, the filmmakers take care to still include fun moments and a compelling confrontation scene between the two friends. In the end, some issues remain barely explored, such as Olmo and his sister’s assimilation of American values and how Nestor’s illness will only worsen. Still, Mr. Eimbcke concludes his film with a scene acknowledging the rough road ahead for the family while once again mining a tragicomic vein, providing a drolly wistful denouement to a bracingly bittersweet movie about growing up.

‘Olmo’ Is a Bracingly Bittersweet Gem About Growing Up

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