Te llevo Conmigo (Spanish) [I Carry You with Me]

Mexico hasn't really produced many LGBT themed films and 20 minutes into the film and I was already hooked. There is something very poetic and something very magical and pure with the way this film is made. And you will be shocked to see that this film actually combines the documentary style film making very effectively with narrative style feature. It was only towards the very end that I began to wonder if the characters were real and sure enough they were.

The story is about two boys Ivan and Gerardo. Ivan, who lives in Pueblo is stuck washing dishes in restaurant even though he has studied in culinary school and is very talented. He has a young son with an ex girlfriend or wife but is also secretly gay. Only is best friend from childhood Sandra knows his secret. One such night he meets Gerardo, who is openly gay and before you know they both madly fall in love. They both have had turbulent childhood where they were ridiculed for being gay by their folks etc. Ivan is so unhappy with his life in general that he decides that he needs to cross over to US. To him US represents land of opportunities and also a place where he will be able to live freely as a gay man. But reality is harsh and bad. HE manages to cross over with his friend Sandra but gets stuck I menial jobs. When its more than a year, Gerardo has had enough of waiting and he crosses over too to be with Ivan. The two men reunite in New York working together to make a better life for themselves when a chance opportunity brings Ivan into the kitchen. Flash forward to present day, where we see real life heroes who have now managed to own and run a restaurant. But Ivan now misses his son who he hasn't seen for 20 years and wants to go back to Mexico, but his legal counsel clearly tells him that he will never be able to come back then. Gerardo is sure he doesn't want to go back. The film leaves things open ended where we are not sure what will eventually become of them.

In Mexico, there is a stigma surrounding homosexuality, and it isn’t openly accepted in most families, so these scenes allow audiences to see where these men come from and what they had to deal with growing up. We see both Ivan and Gerardo both as kids and then as young adults. The actors playing both these characters in two different timelines are superb. I can't say enough of how good of a job both Ivan and Gerardo do as young adults. I was completely immersed in their life and what was happening. The actors had great chemistry and you could feel their love in your bones. And the fact that they are both extremely good looking, sensitive and lovable was an addd bonus. Sadly the way narrative is told, there is a constant shift between present, to adulthood to childhood and you have to be very attentive of the timelines, otherwise it is easy to get mixed up in what's happening. The love story of two gay men fleeing Mexico, for a better life for themselves dealing with immigration issues is already a very sensitive subject. The fact that this is a real life story makes it even more interesting and the cherry on icing is the  very believable acting by the two leads and the real life people playing themslevesin the last 20 minutes. In addition to the deep love between the two men, the film also show some harsh realities of the immigration experience (filled with pain and joy both). The hybrid structure, though, brings some problems with it, mainly in terms of balance. The dramatizations make up the majority of the film, and the current-day documentary sequences at first feel tacked-on when they arrive. 

The subject is complicated, the treatment if the film is different but the emotions are real, humane and very touching. Even with all its minor drawbacks, I absolutely loved this film mostly because of its two very fantastic leads and their chemistry and will strongly recommend it. (8/10)