Olmo Review – Exceptional Performances, Save it for Streaming
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Thursday, 06 August 2026 12:06
- Written by Janet Walker
Olmo, from Plan B Entertainment and Greenwich Films, presents a tough coming of age film, that highlights the devastating challenges some families face each day, while they try to live with some normalcy, keeping the hardship from the world.
The film begins with Olmo, played by Aivan Uttapa, in the middle of a teenage fantasy, the object of his desire, his neighbor, Nina, played by Melanie Frometa, has mentally joined his fantasy and he plans to see this moment through, until, suddenly as the camera pans his room, allowing viewers to understand this is a boyhood fantasy, the moment, a pinnacle of a young man's dream comes to a screeching halt, as his name is being called, louder, and louder and it breaks though his concentration.
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Olmo tries to get his sister, Ana, played by Rosa Armendariz, to answer the insistent voice until Olmo finally addresses the call. Now is when we meet Nestor, their dad, played by Gustavo Sánchez Parra. The first moments we are not quite sure why he is calling them, but we see a wheelchair, and when he explains he has to urinate and his son must help him, we understand it is something.
Both Olmo and his daughter, Ana, fight over who will help him urinate. These scenes, for me, bringing the realities of the disease to the screen, seemed a bit like shock commercials of the 1990s, with a man speaking from a tracheotomy tube from years of smoking. It was not as in your face as those commercials, but it was. And it was also the second indirect penis reference from the director.
The trouble with these scenes, and as objectionable as they are they generated an intense reaction. The illusion of the father's genitals exposed to the children is a no-no, even in film, and yes, the father's genitals are not seen on film, but the idea is that this is a reality, inspired by life with cinematic value added. Cleaning up after the mess, became a family affair, with Nestor's wife, daughter and son, all in the room removing the bed sheets and cleaning him.
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Nestor's wife, Cecilia, played by Andrea Suarez Paz now bears the burden as sole bread winner, and we find out early they are three months behind on the rent and are facing eviction.
The hardships of this family don't offer much cinematic escape, it is a raw, in your face reminder that life can be extremely harsh and cruel.
However, the performance of Gustavo Sánchez Parra was very impressive. So, I researched and found he was not actually afflicted with MS. His performance elevated this film. As an actor, he had to totally allow his body to be limp, liquid, as he portrays someone in the late stages of MS (Multiple sclerosis) meaning he is unable to manage his daily existence. When the children were his caregivers, and they didn't hold him properly he would fall backward. His instrument, for this role, was outside of his control. As an actor he presented a man with advanced stages of MS and his performance was impressive.
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When I add that Olmo is a must see film, it is simply due to the performances. The movie is challenging, and I didn't like the film. I struggled for days, thinking about an angle and some movies, the performances, no matter how good, can't elevate the film to a likeable level.
For me, Olmo has exceptional performances, hidden in a film that would have benefited from more notes, and a limited rewrite, especially in the beginning, a small sacrifice to enhance the potential of the film.
The film is billed as a coming of age, and really what it seems is that the children are both angry at their father for his condition, and his loss of independence, and how his needs cut into their lives. Olmo, in the throes of selfish adolescence, would much rather hang out with his best friend Miguel, played by Domingo Almedo, and try to impress his beautiful next-door neighbor Nina than take care of his dad.
There are some cute moments. If you can make it through the harsh beginning, the middle has some nice acting moments, the storyline is rough, and the film presents a difficult but happy ending. In his desperate attempt to escape his home life, he will come to realize that the place of his deepest pain is also where he will find solace: with his family.
Olmo opens in theaters August 7, 2026. Save it for streaming.
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Country: U.S.
Language: English, Spanish with English subtitles.
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Michel Franco.
Executive Producers: Brad Pitt, Caddy Vanasirikul, Yuri Chung.
Writer: Vanesa Garnica, Fernando Eimbcke.
Cast: Aivan Uttapa, Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Andrea Suárez Paz, Diego Olmedo, Rosa Armendariz, Melanie Frometa.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Under the banner of her production company, HL Productions, LLC, Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.
