Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...
Coming from a religious catholic family, with an extremely strict and conservative matriarch, young Miguel (renamed to Michael in NY) left his home in Puerto Rico and moved to New York to become an actor. He quickly made friends in the art circuit and before you know he was in a relationship with a gay ex-priest Robert. The maker tries hard to locate who this Robert is so that she can uncover the truth, she eventually succeeds in tracking him down through the film's Kickstarter campaign. He now is a Roman Catholic priest going by the name of Father Aquin. Thankfully the man agrees for interviews and this is a fascinating story of his account. Miguel's mother was very religious and everyone would attest that in the family. She finds from Robert on how they were close but in an open relationship and Robert would go out cubbing and likely meeting guys in the night in NYC in the 80's which eventually led to his death by AIDS. But his family declare this as cancer. They allow Robert to attend the funeral but then have nothing to do with him since. Robert died of AIDS and a man torn between his love who always wanted him to be true to himself and his mother, who wanted him to repent his sinful life, so that he could get into heaven. Meanwhile, the rest of the family was to varying degrees at least more empathetic with Miguel's sexuality, but were afraid to anger his mother by questioning her.
The film tries to weave together a narrative to reveal a man deeply conflicted between his Catholic faith, and being homosexual. The film slowly strips away several unresolved issues and emotions from family and friends ranging from Miguel's sexuality to the truth behind his cause of death, AIDS. The film also serves to bring about peace and closure not only to Miguel’s shunned lover, Robert, but also to the filmmaker who harnesses guilt towards her own family for abhorring Miguel and Robert’s relationship. The subjects may be unique individuals, but they represent near-universal archetypes: the gay martyr, the abusive family member, the religious zealot. Perhaps that’s part of the film’s power. It is nice to see the filmmaker interviewing her mother, Miguel's sister and her perspective on the whole thing. What she knew, how much was she influenced by her mother etc. The director also makes her mom meet Robert in the end, which was very endearing. One of the most fascinating things that is uncovered in this doc is how likely it is that Miguel's father was also gay. The documentary is filled with geometric stills of photographs, mementos, and letters that help us get an account of what Miguel's life was about and his family and friends and his life in NYC.
Homophobia is still very much alive, and when you mix religion with body politics, nobody wins. A story about the mistakes of the past and the second chances of the present, this beautiful documentary is a cautionary tale about the unresolved conflicts wrought by AIDS, and a nuanced exploration of how faith is used and abused in times of crisis. (7/10)
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