This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat. The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
The story follows a middle-aged gay man named Armando who spends his time cruising the streets and buses looking for young, working-class guys. He pays them to come back to his place, but he gets his kicks just by watching them pose half-naked without ever actually touching them. One of these meetings goes south fast when a street teenager named Elder brutally beats Armando up, steals his cash, and makes a run for it. A few days later, Armando tracks the boy down, and Elder steals from him again, but for some reason, Armando becomes obsessed with him. He seems to want to do everything he can to win the kid over. When he finds out Elder has been beaten up by a gang, he brings him home and nurses him back to health. Elder starts to feel some empathy but still tries to rob him, which finally breaks Armando, who tells him to leave. After that, Elder starts to warm up to him, and Armando becomes like a surrogate uncle, supporting him financially while Elder hangs out with him. They talk a lot about their fathers, and Armando even admits he wishes his dad was dead. One night, after Elder finally lets things get physical between them, he goes out and kills Armando's father. In a wild twist, Armando then turns Elder over to the police.
This film is really graphic when it comes to the rough street life in Caracas. It digs into ideas like masculinity, love, family, and being dependent on someone, all while showing a pretty disturbing picture of a society where money can buy basically anything. Even though there’s something about the movie that keeps you hooked—even with very little talking—it’s also really frustrating. We’re never told why Armando has such a messed-up relationship with his father. Was he just using Elder the whole time? And why on earth did he give him to the cops? Armando usually likes to watch his "models" from a distance and prefers being across the room, even pulling away when Elder tries to be physically close. So, was it a case where once Armando finally had him, he just wanted to get rid of him? It’s an interesting character study where Armando keeps his emotions on ice while Elder wears his on his sleeve, whether it’s tenderness or a violent temper. We’re supposed to believe Elder kills the father because he hates his own dad, who used to beat him as a kid.
The two actors did a great job, and their chemistry actually worked. They both eventually learn to trust each other after Elder tries to use Armando for money over and over, but just when things seem okay, Armando completely flips! I'm not sure if it was revenge for all the money Elder stole or something else. It's clear that the manipulative Armando was probably a victim himself at some point, but the way he grooms and then betrays the teenager is really disturbing and makes the movie feel much bleaker than I expected. The world they built with so little dialogue was starting to feel right, but that open ending just didn't work for me. Honestly, it feels like the kind of movie made specifically for film festivals. (6/10)
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