Let's just cut right to it, this show was painfully boring. There, I said it. A story built around partial amnesia has real potential, but between the choppy scene structure and random flashbacks thrown in constantly, the whole plot ends up feeling more tangled than it needed to be. The romance doesn't fare much better either, it's written so poorly that I never really found myself invested in this couple. Both leads come across stiff on screen and deliver their lines in a really awkward way. The show runs 8 episodes, each somewhere around 30 to 35 minutes. Hanuel, a 29 year old language teacher, wakes up after an accident only to realize his memory stops at age 19. It turns out he'd been in another accident back then too, which is why his memories cut off at that point. He has zero recollection of the fact that he's currently living with his childhood friend Saebyeok, who's now a huge celebrity. That makes the whole situation even harder for Hanuel to wrap his ...
The story takes place in the city of Querétaro in 1957. It shows the mean things, violence, and hate that gay people had to deal with in Mexico during that time, especially in small towns. The main character is Jardiel, a young guy who lives with a mother who controls everything, a sweet father, and several brothers and sisters. He is secretly in love with his friend Carlos, who he went to college with and now works with. When Jardiel finally gets the nerve to tell Carlos how he feels, Carlos says no. This rejection sends Jardiel into a deep sadness, which gets even worse because his mother hates him and makes fun of him in front of everyone for being gay. She even takes away his clothes and wraps him in a bedsheet so he can't leave the house. Most of his siblings hate him, too. His father is too shy to help and eventually dies after seeing how much the mother tortures Jardiel. The four siblings have their own side stories, too: the brother is chasing a woman, one sister gets pregnant and is left behind by her boyfriend, and the other sister, Lulú, is the only one who actually loves and supports Jardiel. She eventually has to run away just to get away from their mean mother.
It seems like Mexican movies back then never really talked about being gay unless it was for a joke or to show shame. This film treats it like a tragedy—not because being gay is bad, but because the people around Jardiel are so cruel. The mandolin he plays represents what he’s allowed to be in public—talented and part of a group—while his life at home is full of things he’s forbidden to do. The mother is so evil that you will really hate her. At the same time, you have to cheer for Jardiel’s bravery for telling Carlos the truth about his feelings. Even though Carlos rejects him, they decide to stay friends. I’m not sure how other people will feel about this one, but for me, it just didn't work. Maybe it made more sense in Mexico when it was released, but as an international viewer, I was just very bored.
This is a dull and strange look at a dark time in history that fails to stay interesting for very long. (1.5/10)
Comments