This is your typical indie coming-of-age tale about a teenager, though it’s clearly working with a very tiny budget. Set within a migrant family living in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, the movie digs into how fragile old-school traditions and expectations can be. We follow a teenage son as he goes through the process of coming out and struggles to find acceptance while dealing with homophobia, domestic abuse, and a messy love triangle that involves his own sister. Goyo is seventeen and just about to graduate from high school. Since he’s been a bit more feminine since he was a little kid, he’s always had to deal with emotional and physical transition from his dad, Ramon, who is obsessed with him being "a man." The only real love he gets is from a lady next door who actually respects him for who he is. The family lives in a Mexican community where everyone works on a grape farm, but things get shaken up when a new guy named Lucio arrives. Lucio basically seduces Goyo ...
Emmanuel is a hustler and live in lover of Omar in Paris. He has brutal sex with Omar before he is about to leave for a week for work, which angers Omar and asks him to clear out the home before he comes back. Omar leaves with his director friend and then we viewers are subjected to long scenes about her film making process, lecturing students and QnA sessions. Omar has a fling with a student while out and meanwhile Emmanuel has sex with men desperately looking for cash. He creates a painting on the walls of the apartment, an ode to Omar before he leaves him for good.
Had the film just focussed on the relationship between two men, it still could have made an impact and more meaning on sexual and companionship longing. But almost half of it is with this film director which adds absolutely nothing to the overall context at all. Its a complete waste. All those scenes can be easily edited out and this can well be converted to a meaningful short film. I did like the whole idea and scenes of sexual power dynamics, especially when an older client of Emmanuel living in the same building humiliates him. As actor, porn star Francois Sagat does a very good job. You feel a bit of empathy with him. As expected there is enough nudity and sex scenes involved.
The film is a poor attempt and a bad screenplay to portray desire and sexuality. There are much better films out there to have to waste your time on this one. (3/10)
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And yes, this one has Francois Sagat starring. I see you are a fan :p lol