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 ...
16 year old Sequin lives with his single father and has a very high sexual drive. He meets a lot of older men for quick gratifying sex. He now she is young and good looking and that gives him some sort of power over these men. His only rule is not to meet anyone twice. But one guy B starts fixating on him. Sequin receives an offer on the app to attend a 'Blue Room' a group sex session. He sees B there but while running away from him, he meets this young guy and he really enjoys having sex with him. Sequin is trying to find out about this guy, so he reaches out to B again on the app hoping he will find something. But little does he know this will be biggest mistake of his life. Soon enough he finds himself having a stalker who reaches his school, his home and scares Sequin. Few drag queens help Sequin out and try to teach him about realities of life. Learning the hard way, Sequin realizes that not everything that the virtual internet world shows , is gold and rosy. Thankfully the puppy dog classmate still have feelings for Sequin and the ending is a sweet one.
The film doesn't shy away from getting to the point right away. Its bold, straight forward and the way it is shot, you can tell that Sequin is entering some danger zone but its also exciting and electrifying. Casual hookups, especially when you are 16, can be something out of this world. Its funny that when Sequin breaks his rule of not meeting anyone twice, his lust with the younger guy in group sex that feels like love, is exactly what leads him into an entangled web os lies, manipulation and predation. The film's visuals are very stylizes, which gives it an aura of both authenticity but also fantasy. The lead actor Sequin is a treat to watch. The way he shows his cool swagger, his youth power anyhow it eventually leads to fear and inner vulnerability is shown with a panache. His relationship with his dad was cool to see since he accepts his son being gay, except he doesn't really know how much hook ups does Sequin really do. The film is all about testing one's limits.
The film is just the right length. It may not be everyone's cup of tea since its very different and interestingly directed. I'd say that the story is very relevant to today's time. Very sexy, Sequin in a Blue Room is at its heart a coming-of-age tale in a digital world filled with instant sexual gratifications and perilous risks that sometimes comes with it. (6/10)
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