"Bear Cub" isn't really a comedy or a drama, it's a gay fantasy with a bit of reality thrown in for balance. Director and co-writer Miguel Albaladejo opens the film with a very sexy lovemaking scene between two woofy chubs, but he quickly and quietly moves on (it turns out the sex at the beginning is between two secondary characters whom we never get to know, being used somewhat as comedic subtext). Pedro, a 30-ish gay dentist in Madrid, Spain, takes in his young nephew after the boy's mother is jailed in India, leading to complications between the dentist (who leads a promiscuous sex life) and the child's unyielding grandma. We get a small glimpse of Pedro's gay life (cruising the bars and parks, partying with his husky, furry friends), yet not enough to give us insight into this man--whose health woes are facetiously dropped in. The film is a major step forward in showcasing gay lives which are not so wildly colorful, but the situation with the kid is only a serviceable plot function and is never quite as involving as the adult passion. **1/2 from ****
Review of Cachorro
