Sumith Prasad
In Netflix’s action drama ‘Sixty Minutes,’ Octavio “Octa” Bergmann’s ex-partner Mina sets out to file for the sole custody of their daughter Leonie when the MMA fighter fails to show up for the little girl’s birthday. Leonie, expecting her father, spends all day waiting for him hardly eating anything. She dismisses her hunger to have her birthday cake, the one Octa promised her, with her father. Since Octa has a fight to finish before meeting his daughter, he keeps the latter waiting for him, only for Mina to give him sixty minutes to show up before them if he doesn’t want to lose custody of his child! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mina Decides Against Filing For Sole Custody
Octa fails to show up before Leonie and Mina before the latter’s “deadline” after getting forced to deal with Chino, who tries to chase the MMA fighter down with a group of men. Still, Mina decides against filing for their daughter’s sole custody because she realizes that she can expect Octa to be a good father to their child. She asks David, her lawyer, to not move forward with the case by telling him, “It’s alright.” Octa and Mina had to welcome Leonie even before the former turned twenty. Since the latter wasn’t a good fit for the aspirational MMA fighter, they parted ways, most likely without any regrets as far as their relationship is concerned.
However, Leonie partially lost her father due to Octa and Mina’s separation. The MMA fighter’s hustle to establish himself in the cage further separated him from his daughter, making Mina the reliable caretaker of Leonie. For seven years, she does the job of both the father and mother. When Octa fails to show up on Leonie’s birthday, Mina realizes that she cannot tolerate his behavior anymore. She knows that their child has been awaiting the day to spend it with her father for months, only for the latter to get engaged with another commitment.
Although Octa’s partial absence in Leonie’s life for years is a major contributing factor behind Mina’s decision to seek sole custody, she makes it impulsively. After watching her daughter cry, without even eating anything, while waiting for her father who won’t likely even show up, it is understandable that a mother would do anything to protect her child. She seeks the sole custody of Leonie to protect the latter from expectations concerning Octa, which results in pain. Mina wants Octa out of their child’s life only to see their daughter not hurt. The motherly instinct to protect one’s offspring can be what led Mina to wage a war against her ex-partner.
Octa Earns Mina’s Trust
Mina’s anger dwindles when Octa shows up for Leonie. Even though he is a few minutes late and arrives without the promised cake, Mina realizes that the father of her daughter really loves the latter. Mina must have understood that Octa walked away from the match to be with Leonie, which likely makes her trust him. While they were together, as per Paul’s words, Octa was highly aspirational. She might have witnessed how the MMA fighter prioritized his career and it can even be the reason behind their separation. When Mina sees such a person show up before her within sixty minutes on a match night, she must have realized that the latter deserves another chance at being a good father.
Octa earns a second chance at his life as a father by putting it on the line to be with Leonie. Even when a group of people chase him with guns, beat him up, kidnap him, and eventually stab him, he doesn’t stop running towards his daughter. He doesn’t look for an excuse to tell Leonie and Mina when he can with a stab wound. The MMA fighter knows that he has relied on excuses for a long time, which is the reason behind his ex-partner’s unexpected decision to cut him off from their child’s life. Octa is changing man. He corrects his mistakes to remain a part of Leonie’s world and he gives his all for his daughter until he passes out in front of the latter’s house.
In addition, Mina may not want to make Leonie suffer more by eliminating Octa from their lives. The little girl is someone who had to deal with a lot of pain only because her parents decided against remaining together, which was a decision that was completely out of her control. Mina may know that her life decisions have caused her daughter pain too. When Octa is making progress as a father, she may have thought that it is best to not increase Leonie’s troubles. The sight of Leonie hugging her father while lying on a pathway may have convinced Mina that she cannot ask Octa to disappear from their daughter’s sight.
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