This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
Yosvani and Reinier are two young men who play in an amateur slum soccer team. Yosvani lives with his elder girlfriend Gema and his black-marketeer father. Reid lives with his wife, a small baby and her mother who is always looking for money and support from Rei, since he is the only male earning member of the family. She openly encourages him to be a gay prostitute since that will at least get them money. Reid meets a handsome man Juan visiting from Spain and hooks up with him occasionally. He makes him feel good and also awakens a curiosity in him of whether he is gay? At the same time, Yosvani starts feeling a strange physical attraction towards Rei and he takes his chances by kissing him. Their drunken kiss is a shock and intrigue for both of them and soon they are having an affair on a tall rooftop. You can see they both love each other but Rei has to continue to hustle to make some money. Yovani is doing ok financially because of his girlfriend’s family but can’t ignore a strong love for Rei. He is sad that Rei does hustling but he can’t help him. Thanks to Juan, Rei gets one opportunity to for a possible soccer career, he wants t focus on it. Meanwhile Yosvani’s situation turns for worse when his girlfriend’s father throws him out for his affair with Rei. Yosvani steals money from him, so that he can run some place far far away with Rei, but Rei has to take a call of what he wants to do. He loves Yosvani but would he choose him over his football career. What price will Yosvani have to pay for stealing money from a thug?
The way try is presented, you can feel that working class life in Cuba is not easy at all. The film is raw and real with brilliant chemistry and acting by the 2 lead. Yes, the film flaws in its narration because it becomes hard to see if Rei is really in love with Yosvani or Juan or is straight or may be he is really as confused as we feel as audience. The characters never really give in to their desire and take their friendship to a new level of intimacy. Having said that, some of best scenes involve Yosvani and Rei coming to terms with their feelings for one another, going from repulsion and disbelief to fun and love. A good mix of secret love, sex for hire, athletic aspirations, morality, hunger for survival; the film never gets over dramatic. I am not sure what the end scene was meant to be, something whose reference still eludes me. This film is a lot of things, from super sexy to a sad commentary on homophobia. The story will engage you, pique your interest and even anger you. The performances are electric, and the scenes reveal a side of Cuba that we outsiders rarely see.
An interesting film depicting a lot of emotions. Something that also shows that gay for pay is ok, but being gay for real is strict no-no. (7/10)
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