The movie is set in Caracas, and I've got to say, it definitely isn't going to be for everyone. The way the story builds up is actually pretty strong, but for me, the point of it all felt a little fuzzy. It's a story packed with gay desire and a lot of violence, giving you a really interesting look at the city through its two main characters. However, what’s actually driving each of them stays in a bit of a gray area, which was a little bothering. The story follows a middle-aged gay man named Armando who spends his time cruising the streets and buses looking for young, working-class guys. He pays them to come back to his place, but he gets his kicks just by watching them pose half-naked without ever actually touching them. One of these meetings goes south fast when a street teenager named Elder brutally beats Armando up, steals his cash, and makes a run for it. A few days later, Armando tracks the boy down, and Elder steals from him again, but for some reason, Armando becom...
Apparently, this is a gay landmark film from the 70s. Somehow I would label this this as an aesthetic porn with a nice sweet storyline given the time period. The story is very basic, but other than that it's 75% full on sex scenes, so anyone who disagrees with calling it a porn should be questioned.
Tom is a 28 year old single man in SF. He is single and spends his time between clubs, bars and bathhouses on the weekend. He puts an ad in a local newspaper using a Walt Whitman poem. The ad is responded to by an 18 year old boy Robert. He is shy, naive, very new to the whole gay scene, just coming to terms with his sexuality and soon the exchange of letters begin. What unfolds in the first half of the film, in pristine black-and-white cinematography, is the lives of the two men, their fantasies and desires, the letters they send back and forth, and their eventual meeting at the popular gay spot Land’s End.
Yes, the film, which is shot on real locations, gives us a realistic portrayal of what gay scene was back in early 70s, but why so many unnecessary sexual scenes. I understand if that was limited to intimacy between Tom and Robert but there are many more of random sex scenes. But ots of moodiness and sex, shot in a way that conveys far more ambition than you average wham-bam porno. It is interesting to see how gay cruising and interactions were lot simpler and personal compared to quick fuck and go app cruising that we have these days. There was also more trust, it seems. The film ends with the newly couple attending a "Gay Freedom Day" parade. Watch it, only if gay erotica is your thing. I'd rather watch porn. :) (3/10)

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