October

Colour, 35 mm
Peru, 2010, 83 min
Section: Open Eyes

Synopsis

Thanks to a profession inherited from his father, taciturn pawnbroker Clemente isn’t a very popular man. His untroubled, comfortably monotonous life is ruffled one day by the sudden appearance of a newborn baby in his flat, the unexpected consequence of his regular visits to see women of questionable morals. While Clemente tries to find the child’s mother, his neighbour Sofia springs into action, a woman for whom the surly moneylender represents a chance to escape a life of dismal solitude. The pious Sofia, who starts taking care of the infant, introduces into Clemente’s life something which the man – now in his forties – had successfully avoided until now: emotion. This tersely black- humoured story, which won the hearts of the public and recognition from the critics at this year’s Cannes film festival, is set in the Peruvian metropolis, where assorted religious rituals are played out on the streets in the month of October. In their feature film debut, two of the greatest talents of contemporary Latin American cinema pay an original tribute to the filmmakers who inspired them: Jim Jarmusch, Aki Kaurismäki and Robert Bresson.

About the director

Daniel (36) and Diego (35) Vega were born in the Peruvian capital Lima. Daniel studied audiovisual communications and management at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Diego graduated in economics and screenwriting from the International Film and Television School in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. After their studies, Daniel worked in advertising, while Diego developed his career as a film and television writer. The Vega brothers won numerous awards for their short-film debut Inside Down Basement (Interior bajo izquierda). Their feature film debut October was selected for the Un certain regard section at Cannes this year and took away the Jury Prize.