Many years after a viral zombie outbreak, three brothers are forced to fend for themselves, living off the land in a cabin in the woods. With their parents long gone, the eldest, Salvador is tasked with feeding and protecting his brothers, but his amputated leg means he needs assistance from the younger Oliver and Benjamin. Together they hunt wild animals and fortify their base. Still, how long until outside dangers invade their safety? The infected roam the outskirts of the woods, a murderous cult of bandits called The Trumpets are roving the land, and what to make of the monstrous sounds emanating from the basement?
Director Isaac Ezban returns to the fest (his films The Incident, The Similars, and Parallel all screened at VIFF) with a gory coming-of-age fable about an unconventional family unit finding ways to survive the end of the world. Thanks to Ezban’s careful world-building and pitch-black humour, Párvulos strikes a miraculous balance between heartwarming and darkly cynical.
Sept 29 & 30: Q&A with director Isaac Ezban
Supported by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Felix Farid Escalante, Leonardo Cervantes, Mateo Ortega, Norma Flores, Horacio Lazo, Carla Adell
Mexico
2024
In Spanish with English subtitles
Animal cruelty
At International Village
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Carolina Franco, Francisco Aguilera, Francisco Sánchez Solís, Franz Alvarez Novotny
Producer
Natalia Contreras, Javier Sepulveda, Eduardo Lecuona, Isaac Ezban
Screenwriter
Isaac Ezban
Cinematography
Rodrigo Sandoval, Vega Gil
Editor
Oscar Figueroa
Production Design
Adelle Achar
Original Music
Camilla Uboldi, Edy Lan
Isaac Ezban
Isaac Ezban’s first film The Incident (2014) premiered at Cannes and 50 more festivals, gaining support from Del Toro. His second film The Similars (2015) won Best Latin American Film at Sitges, making him the first Mexican with two films in two straight years in Fantastic Fest and Sitges. He then was hired by BRON Studios to direct his first English-language film Parallel (2018), broke box office records with Mal De Ojo (2022), and premiered his new movie Párvulos (2024) at Fantasia and Fantastic Fest.
Filmography: The Incident (2014); The Similars (2015); Parallel (2018); Mal De Ojo (2022)
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
A. Rimbaud
Patrick Wang (The Bread Factory) presents the life of French poet Arthur Rimbaud in this staggeringly adventurous and deeply considered movie, a three-hour, one-man show quite unlike anything we have seen before. "Poetic, audacious and singular."
