As Raphaela (Natalia Solián), the young nun at the centre of Karla Badillo’s debut, struggles with aspects of her faith and vocation, I had struggles of my own watching the film. It is undoubtedly handsomely mounted, including a handful of memorable shots that underscore Badillo’s concerns with religiosity (such as a particularly gorgeous one in which Solián’s head is framed directly by the sun, giving her a glowing halo). The ending too will leave people talking in their seats as the credits roll, with a sudden final twist that shakes the film awake before the curtains close on its characters. It’s only a pity there aren’t more of those moments in Oca, which sees characters converging briefly and then diverging again on their respective pilgrimages to a single town, with the forbidding Mexican desert as the backdrop. Whether by foot, car or moped, there is both a will and a way, but perhaps to no one’s surprise, it does become a matter of the journey mattering more than the destination.
My difficulty with Oca comes down to the cast of characters: There really isn’t anyone likeable or interesting enough to root for here. Raphaela is sensitively played by Solián, but the character is held at a remove from the viewer as she converses in solemn enigmas and pregnant silences. Meanwhile, the supporting characters—the ragtag locals carrying a statue of their beloved saint to be blessed by the archbishop; a government paratrooper suddenly ejected from his plane following an unexpected skirmish; and a mysterious, wealthy woman being chauffeured to the town of San Vicente by car—are either too thinly sketched or unpleasant to become attached to. The exception is a put-upon little girl amongst the statue-carrying pilgrims, although our sympathy is more derived from the casual misogyny around her than anything she really does.
Of course, not every film needs a character for the audience to feel close to, but for a drama in which there is not much else but the characters to observe, the lack of a sympathetic surrogate becomes noticeable. Why should we care whether Raphaela or the people she encounters arrive in San Vicente? Badillo perhaps asks us for a sliver of faith. Oftentimes in Oca, it’s nonetheless quite hard to give it to her.
Oca had its world premiere at TIFF in the Discovery programme on September 9, 2025.
The Lonely Film Critic 