León and Olvido (2004)

León y Olvido recounts the cohabitation problems and the complicated relationship between León, a young man with Down 's syndrome, and his twin sister Olvido who, since the death of their ... See full summary »

Director:

Xavier Bermúdez

Writer:

Xavier Bermúdez

Stars:

Marta Larralde, Guillem Jiménez, Gary Piquer

12 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marta Larralde	...	Olvido / Sister
Guillem Jiménez	...	León / Brother
Gary Piquer	...	Damián
Miguel Ángel Blanco	...	Iván (as Mighello Blanco)
Jaime Vázquez	...	Jonathan
Rebeca Montero	...	Raquel
Nerea Barros	...	Chica Tienda
Laura Ponte	...	Laura
Pilar Pereira	...	Doña Dorita
Mariana Carballal	...	La madre de Jonathan
Xosé Manuel Olveira 'Pico'	...	Educador (as Xosé M. Olveira 'Pico')
Amalia Gómez	...	Educadora
Pilar Alonso	...	Mujer Guardia Civil
Maite Dacosta	...	Asistenta Socia (as Maite Da Costa)
Rodrigo Roel	...	Médico

Storyline

León y Olvido recounts the cohabitation problems and the complicated relationship between León, a young man with Down 's syndrome, and his twin sister Olvido who, since the death of their parents, has to take care of her brother after he has been expelled from several centers. León finally manages to go to live with his sister, but he finds difficulties in looking after himself and in assuming a minimum of responsibility. As far as Olvido is concerned, she does not want to lose her independence by fully devoting her life to taking care of her brother. Amidst this hard bargaining, León, under pressure from his sister's brusque attitude, will begin to accept and take up new tasks and roles at home and to assume different degrees of responsibility. The lack of social assistance, economic precariousness, and Olvido's personal and job-related changes spark a number of difficult situations and moments and are the leitmotiv of the lives of these young siblings.

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Plot Keywords:

female full rear nudity | incest overtones | grown brother sister in a bathtub | autistic brother | bare breasts | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish Gallegan

Release Date:

11 February 2005 (Spain)

Also Known As:

León and Olvido

Filming Locations:

A Coruña, Galicia, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

El Paso Producciones Cinematográficas S.L., Xamalú Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

User Reviews

A Movie That Breaks Stereotypical Barriers

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.