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...
Congressman Ignacio is doing well and also has high ambitions from his political career. He is marrying Amada, the daughter of Mexico’s President so that his new status as son-in-law of the president will help push him into new territory. The only problem is Ignacio is gay and struggles to consummate his marriage. Soon he meets Evaristo, a man with whom he is slowly falling in love with. Ignacio brings Evaristo to a secret club of high profile group of queer men that meets regularly to party, have sex, and entertain one another. Ignacio thinks he can keep the two lives separate but increasing suspicion and snooping from wife Amada, brings t he truth out. Rumors start and she doesn't hesitate to take matters in her hands and involves her father and brother. Amada wants right for her but Ignacio can't give that.Torn between angry wife, jeopardized career, and dedicated lover, Ignacio struggles to make sense of his world and future. A police raid on a a special ball at which many of the men are dressed in drag, gets all members arrested except Ignacio. The 41 men are publicly shamed and many die (as we are told later). Thanks to his father-in-law Ignacio has escaped punishment but the aftershocks of this event and the friends he lost may very well change his life forever.
The first thing you notice is the super high production values of this film. The sets, costumes, mannerisms, everything is absolutely fantastic. A lot of struggles fo LGBT community wanting to live the way to but unable to are shown very clearly in the film. In fact, most poignant scenes happen when the men secretly meet in the club and talk. This is when you realize the struggles are real. These are people who feel they have to hide away from the world to find their true happiness, and are forced to create families with people they don’t really love and put on faces for everyone else to see. Love story between Ignacio and Evaristo is beautiful and very very real. You feel for them and their pure love. Sadly, the film portrays the wife Amada as the villain but as an audience I feel that it's not really her fault. She was victim of circumstances and nothing was really her fault. She was a string women who was just not going to take shit from her husband. So in that sense, the film creates a string female character but unfortunately portrays her in a negative light. There is a lot of nudity, sex, skin in the film but never unnecessary. The film never goes over dramatic and keeps its theme and treatment very very real. Fantastic actors, great direction and just the right amount of time. The shocking ending is really sad. The torture and loss of Evaristo somehow ended up feeling like a personal loss. Amanda, without even flinching, breaks the news of Evaristo’s death to Ignacio while he sits stoned and tears up.
Displaying the humanity and tragedy of these men, their desire to live as who they were, and the consequences of that desire; this film is an absolute must watch. The beauty and aesthetic in Ignacio and Evaristo’s love story is not often seen so up close compounded with a tragedy that awaits them. (7.5/10)
Comments
A part of me can see why you would find the film boring. One problem is that it never rises beyond the basics of what it was meant to say. Regardless, I personally enjoyed it.
And of course, I would love to hear more of your comments. The is what helps me see thing sin a different perspective and get an alternate side of looking at movies.