OLMO

Set in 1979 New Mexico — with a vibrant, sun-drenched color palette and killer disco soundtrack to match — this is a wry yet sincere coming-of-age tale from Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke (whose latest feature FLIES also screens in this year’s festival. Over the course of a day, teenager Olmo (Aivan Uttapa) juggles adult responsibilities and the pull of adolescent freedom as he begs, borrows and steals his way into 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. Channeling teen dramedies like NAPOLEON DYNAMITE and SUPERBAD, Eimbcke crafts something wholly original, deftly balancing a sharp, dry wit with an earnest but unsentimental take on family dynamics and identity that remains grounded in cultural specificity while offering a universal portrait of relatable teenage awkwardness. –Abbie Algar

Official Selection, 2025 AFI FEST and Berlin film festivals. DIR/SCR Fernando Eimbcke; SCR Vanesa Garnica; PROD Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Michel Franco. U.S./Mexico, 2025, color, 84 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED

Run Time: 84 Minutes

Opening Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026

Genre: Drama

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