Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Set in 1987 in El Paso, Texas, this film with a unique name is based on a novel (which I had no idea about). I was just fascinated by the intriguing title; a story of two Mexican teenagers Aristotle "Ari" and Dante, their friendship, and their struggles with racial and ethnic identity, sexuality, and family relationships. I had no expectations of the film and I have to say that this was so sweet and charming and cute and touches your heart.

It's summer. We meet teenage Ari, a loner by choice since he doesn't identify much with other teenagers his age and lives with his Mexican origin parents. His older brother is in jail but the family never talks about it and he doesn't know the reason. Enter Dante, a guy similar to Ari in heritage who offers to teach Ari how to swim at the community pool. Very soon a friendship develops where they spend a lot of time with each other throughout the summer, the parents approving of the friendship. They are opposites. Ari has a tough exterior while Dante is full of life eager to teach Ari art and music  and literature etc. Summer ends and Dante's family goes back. They start writing letters and we hear mostly from Dante writing to Ari. After multiple letters, w see Dante asking Ari about masturbation, kissing a girl and eventually telling him that he might like boys and is gay and how he is worried his parents will react. The following summer arrives, the two boys meet as ever with a pact that they will be friends even though Dante is gay. But we know Dante has feelings for Ari and he pushes them to kiss so Ari can be sure. They do but something triggers in Ari and he gets mad at Dante. By this time we are told why his brother is in jail. After a few days Dante is in hospital badly beaten by strangers because ehe was seen kissing another boy. This infuriates Ari, he goes and beats those guys and eventually confesses his own feelings to Dante but only after a very very heartfelt chat with his parents on how he feels he is different and how he is ashamed and all. As we would all have wanted, the film ends with a beautiful kiss between the two boys.

The first thing that stand out in the film are its two very charming lead actors. Apparently they are both new actors and they take up these challenging roles with vulnerability, charm and bravery. It feels we literally see Ari grow up on screen before our very eyes, while Dante serves as the emotional anchor even though his presence is often ephemeral. I have not read the book, so I cannot compare but as a standalone piece of a film, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The film has a sort of lyricism to it which is hard to explain. The way it is presented, it is visually striking and before you know, you are just engrossed in the world of Aristotle and Dante. I mean, just even look at the poster. It is visually striking. They joke about their names, how they both identify as Mexicans in different ways, culture clash, teenage angst and everything else. I also liked that when they meet again next summer how they decide that they will be friends irrespective of Dante's sexuality. The way we see the year pass through letters from Dante and how Ari's life changes in front of us, adds an interesting dimension to the film. Talking of the letters, it is very fascinating to see how the contents of the letter change with every new one, getting more bold but also showing the teenagers growing up and discovering themselves. Although the focus of the story is on Ari and Dante, their parents’ perspectives are also given importance and show why Ari and Dante both have different ways of coming to terms with their respective sexualities. Its only when Ari's mom tells him about the grandma's back story, he feels little ore comfortable in accepting who he is. 

There’s plenty of teen angst in the movie, but what viewers will most remember is that it’s a story about living your truth, even when being honest about who you are and who you love can be painful. I feel stories of young adult love in the gay genre is almost making a comeback of sorts and I am loving every minute of it. They are also a welcome change for me from the Asian BL shows, which shockingly have also become an addiction now.  Back to this film, it's the beautiful cinematography and the moving performances that will remain etched in your heart. It's times like these when I see films like these, I wonder how and when did I get so old. I wonder what I was teen today or those days and had a similar story to tell. (8/10)