On Saturday October 25 at the AFI FEST 2025 was the U.S. Premiere of Fernando Eimbcke’s OLMO – A quietly delightful coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old Mexican-American boy named Olmo who lives with his bed-ridden father Nestor in a deadend town in New Mexico. Set in 1979, the film takes us through a day in the life of Olmo (Aivan Uttapa), a teen juggling adult responsibilities and the pull of adolescent freedom, as he begs, borrows and steals his way to a neighborhood party. With his father Nestor (Gustavo Sánchez Parra) bedridden, Olmo is forced to share caregiving duties with his overworked mother Cecilia (Andrea Suarez Paz) and his older sister Ana (Rosa Armendariz), who would much rather be at the local roller disco than caring for an ailing parent.
When his enchanting neighbor and number one crush, Nina (Melanie Frometa), invites Olmo and his best friend Miguel (Diego Olmedo) to her party on the condition that they provide his father’s stereo, the pair embark on a nocturnal odyssey to fulfill her request at any cost. His long-suffering mother Cecilia (Andrea Suarez Paz), who works long hours to keep the family afloat, but is still three months behind with the rent. One Saturday night, Olmo and his red-booted best friend Miguel (Diego Olmedo) receive the invitation of their dreams when Olmo’s teenage neighbor Tina (Melanie Frometa), on whom he has a monstrous crush, says they can come to a local party, as long as they bring a stereo.
This presents Olmo and Miguel with a series of difficulties to overcome, from the slight snag that Nestor’s stereo has stopped working to a much larger problem, namely that both Ana and Cecilia are out for the night, meaning that Olmo will have to leave his father unattended. In desperation, Olmo prevails upon Nestor’s estranged brother, Uncle Julio (Valentin Mexico), for a bit of adult babysitting, but that doesn’t quite work out as planned.
His father Nestor (Gustavo Sanchez Parra) is stricken with debilitating Multiple Scerlosis, unable to get out of bed, go to the bathroom by himself, and needing 24/7 care, something neither his sister or especially him is very comfortable doing. Unfortunately, the reality of having a father in dire need of medical help and a mother depending on the kids to step up, Olmo can’t just be like any other kid. It doesn’t help that Nestor is cranky and demanding, a man sadly very much diminished.
Olmo is being stretched thin and finally takes matters into his own hands, goes out and fixes his mother’s broken-down car, is joined by Miguel on a joy ride before delivering on his promise for the stereo at Nina’s party, where the boys put on a show with their best John Travolta dance impression to the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever. Then his big moment to get it on with Nina comes crashing down when he has to get back home only to find Nestor has been taken to the hospital when a neighbor heard him writhing in pain. Olmo should have been there. He’s in trouble. Plus, he left the stereo behind.
The film is a bittersweet gem definitely worth viewing. The film’s production design is also exceptional, with an impressive level of detail, allowing for a beautifully observed sense of time and place. One particular highlight is Nestor instructing Olmo on how to fix the stereo, which sets him off on his nostalgic reverie as he recalls gifting the stereo to Cecilia on their anniversary. Newcomer Uttapa (who made his feature debut in Night Swim) is excellent as Olmo, creating believable relationships with each of his family members and investing his character with that all-too-familiar sense that “everything” matters when you’re 14 years old.
There’s also charming support from Olmedo, whose quieter energy fits well with Uttapa, while Armendariz steals practically every scene she’s in as Ana, who’s determined to have her night of roller-skating despite her own setbacks. In addition, Sánchez Parra is superb as Nestor, and his attempts to cling on to his sense of authority within the family, while resisting the aggressive progression of his multiple sclerosis, are quietly heart-breaking. With that in mind, his casting is particularly astute for English audiences, who may remember him from his role in Amores Perros 25 years ago.
