Skip to main content

Avsar (Hindi) [Opportunity]

By Golu
This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
Post a Comment

Feriado (Spanish) [Holiday]

By Golu
Yay!! another first film from a new country. A coming-out gay film, there is nothing much new to this film honestly but what I admire about the film is the fact that someone in the country dared to make a film that even touches upon the gay aspect and treats it sensitively rather than making  mockery of it.

Set in 1999, when one of the worst financial crisis hit Ecuador, W meet the shy teenager Juan Pablo who has come to spend his carnival holidays to his family house in the mountains of Ecuador. We find out that’s uncle, whose house he is staying at, is a banker who is locked up because of the bank scandal. Nevertheless, it doesn’t stop the family especially the kids to enjoy their vacation. Juan Pablo is constantly bullied by his cousins and he finally finds excitement through a chance encounter with Juano, a thief, when Juan Pablo saves him from his uncle’s escape while stealing tyre covers in the carnival party. The crew of the film then focuses on there growing friendship and the silent fun moments they share. Their socio-political differences are nevr mentioned and are never an issue. Clearly Juan Pablo is completely in awe of Juano, who in turn thinks of him as a friend. One night after a crazy party, the 2 boys do end up kissing passionately, but Juano finally runs away. Before heading back to his home after his vacation ends, Juan Pablo goes to meet Juano for one final time and says goodbye.

I think the screenplay of the film was quite weak. A lot more drama, excitement could have been built up. The actors playing the two main pats were quite good but were in control of the undercooked screenplay of the film. Their passion was not so much real but Juan Pablo’s silent glances towards Juano with a mixture of curiosity, sensuality portrayed his vulnerability and his desires. The whole fading banking scenario was all in the background and didn’t really add anything substantial to the story. Even the ending wasn’t anything ground-breaking or special. Finally Juan Pablo confides in a friend that he may like guys, so as a viewer, I am just left with just a shrug as a reaction

In short, this film is a simple story of a teenager coming to terms with his sexuality on his holiday. Nothing out of the world but not bad either. (4.5/10)
Labels:

Comments

ILHiker said…
I took a break from rewatching for this movie last night. It was among the Central American Spanish language movies I had located for a trip, originally thought for Ecuador but now for Peru. I agree with the review and did enjoy it, mainly thanks to the two main characters. I found Juan Pablo's story arc interesting in that he never did either the stereotypical acts of wallowing in victimhood from having to sort-of spend time with his unpleasant male cousins, nor did he evoke any over-emotional reactions to gradually coming out to himself. The setting of the country, the stream and the city were all lovely--it seemed as though the director or cinematographer were very fond of the area. I found the accents easier to understand than, say, Argentina or Chile for me, which helps with my Spanish listening practice. I looked for more gay-themed films from either the director or actors, but no such luck.
August 5, 2022 at 6:24 AM
Golu said…
I feel that the director is not really known for gay centric films. Even with this film, if you see deeply, its more about socio-political statement that he is trying to make and doing it through a gay character was a interesting arc to throw in.
August 7, 2022 at 1:05 PM
ILHiker said…
That actually makes a lot more sense than how I was thinking it. Thank you for sharing.
August 8, 2022 at 6:53 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Drug Shore (Chinese)

By Golu
Apparently tis film was adapted by a true story Well, true or not, movies/series about drugs are not easy to watch. I have always said that drugs is like the end of life for anyone. For those who sink into this sea of addiction, some manage to swim upstream to recovery, while others cannot make it to the shore. The film may not be the best, but it does have a noble intention to remind everyone of the evil affects of drugs and combining that with sex. Ah Zhe is in a happy relationship with his influencer boyfriend. On his partner's birthday, they end up going to a party, which interestingly is being hosted at a drug dealer's house and this is where for the first time he is exposed to the world of drugs. The duo somehow do it just enough and come back home but next day Ah She gets invited by the dealer Xiao Fei for a meal. The dealer has a soft corner for Ah Zhe, but before anyone realizes, Ah Zhe's life spirals out of control when slowly he starts doing more and more drugs, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sei no Gekiyaku (Japanese) [Dangerous Drugs of Sex]

By Golu
Every person has their own unique way of dealing with loss. This film is as much a psychological thriller as it is a soft porn BDSM portrayal of two young men that makes the film overall horrifying as well as humane. It is really hard to describe the genre of this film in one word. Its important not that the film has some really disturbing scenes so if you go into seeing this film, please proceed with caution. Although any sexual non-consensual activity is not ok, this film has its won strange way of showing that suicide is not the only solution to all life's problems. Makoto is a regular office goer, who just finds out that his girlfriend is probably cheating on him. ON top of it, his parents sudden death coming back from a trip that he forced them to take, he gets completely dejected and decides to commit suicide. Unknown to him, he is saved by mysterious man Yoda Ryoji, and he wakes up finding himself tied up in leather and belts in a very BDSM setting. This mysterious saver soo...
3 comments
Read more

The Shortest Distance is Round 3: Fallen Flowers

By Golu
Continuing with the weird trilogy of "The Shortest Distance", I am so glad that finally I am done with part 3 and won't have to deal with this again in future. Thankfully, as of now the makers have not announced any further parts; which will save all of us on this earth from the embarrassment of watching this in near future. After the first 10 minutes are used in sort of recapping bits of first two parts, the story moves forward. Haruto is now starting to have feelings for Ruka, the mysterious pole dancer from second part. In a fit of rage, Ruka ends up killing the goat man and to save him and Haruto, Shibahara asks them to go underground. Meanwhile Shibahara continues the search for Seiya (the guy who had cut off Haruto's penis). It turns out Seiya is now also taking care of the original club owner from part 1. Both of them were released after they had informed Shibahara of Aoyama's secret location. Shibahara tortures Seiya's boyfriend leading to Seiya killin...
5 comments
Read more