At first I thought that this was a Latin version of a typical gay film that comes out of the U.S. I couldn't have been more wrong. It's really a charming film about friendship that's difficult to achieve. "Why does sex always get in the way?" David asks. In other words, it's as difficult for a gay and straight man to develop a friendship as it is for a straight man and woman. Sounds a bit like dating and marriage, doesn't it? It's even more difficult when a government and friends interfere.
At the beginning I was afraid that Diego would actually seduce David and voilà we have the usual gay film that I find boring. Instead, I really got to like Diego, much the same way he eventually charms David. That's getting involved with characters in a movie. Excellent performances by the two leads.
The other performance that is compelling is that of Nancy (Mirtha Ibarra). I first saw Mirtha Ibarra in Guantanamara, a film that followed this by a year. In both films, she plays the older woman that every young man fantasizes about. Where was Mirtha Ibarra when I was David's age? I don't know how, if the Cuban regime is supposed to be so oppressive that they allowed this film to be made. Perhaps they wanted to show the "Yanquis" that it's possible to be critical of the government and still love one's country.
This is a film that I will see twice.
At the beginning I was afraid that Diego would actually seduce David and voilà we have the usual gay film that I find boring. Instead, I really got to like Diego, much the same way he eventually charms David. That's getting involved with characters in a movie. Excellent performances by the two leads.
The other performance that is compelling is that of Nancy (Mirtha Ibarra). I first saw Mirtha Ibarra in Guantanamara, a film that followed this by a year. In both films, she plays the older woman that every young man fantasizes about. Where was Mirtha Ibarra when I was David's age? I don't know how, if the Cuban regime is supposed to be so oppressive that they allowed this film to be made. Perhaps they wanted to show the "Yanquis" that it's possible to be critical of the government and still love one's country.
This is a film that I will see twice.