The Erection of Toribio Bardelli (Spanish: La erección de Toribio Bardelli) is a 2023 Peruvian-Brazilian black tragicomedy film written and directed by Adrián Saba. Starring Gustavo Bueno accompanied by Gisela Ponce de León, Rodrigo Sánchez Patiño, Michele Abascal and Lucélia Santos. The film was selected as the Peruvian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
Synopsis
Toribio Bardelli is an older man, who together with his four children, now adults, form a dysfunctional and failed family. About to turn 70, Toribio will pursue his only goal in life: to have an erection again.
Cast
Gustavo Bueno as Toribio Bardelli
Gisela Ponce de León
Rodrigo Sánchez Patiño
Michele Abascal
Lucélia Santos
Financing
At the end of July 2015, the film received an economic stimulus of 550,000 soles from the Directorate of Audiovisual, Phonography and New Media delivered by the Ministry of Culture of Peru to start its development phase. On November 20, 2018, it received an economic boost from Ibermedia and a short time it received 4,000 euros after winning the Best Pitch award at the 4th Ventana del Cine Madrileño to start production.
Release
The Erection of Toribio Bardelli had its world premiere on August 15, 2023, as part of the Fiction competition at the 27th Lima Film Festival, then it was released commercially on October 26, 2023, in Peruvian theaters.
Reception
Critical reception
Eddson Esquives from La Cinestación rated the film 6 out of 10, noting that "it's a story that loses strength as it progresses," expressing that supporting characters didn't contribute significantly to the protagonist's development, and indicating the shallow approach to addressing the grief the family is going through, although he highlights the acting capacity of Gustavo Bueno, Gisela Ponce de León and Rodrigo Sánchez.
Sandro Mairata of La República, mentioned that the film should not have been selected for its competition within the framework of the 27th Lima Film Festival, pointing out technical errors, poor direction of actors, and a script that seems not to be fully developed.
In August 2023, the Ministry of Culture of Peru selected The Erection of Toribio Bardelli in their shortlist for their submission to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film alongside Queens Without a Crown and How to Deal With a Heartbreak. The Erection of Toribio Bardelli ultimately was the official submission for the category.
Accolades
See also
List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Peruvian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
