As a gay man from Guatemala, this film spoke to me on several levels. The way the main character of Jose has to sneak out of his job to hook up with men because he lives with his mom is 100% accurate. Every gay man in Guatemala city knows the kind of sleazy motels he visits downtown in the city with the guys he hooks up with.
Although the cultural elements of the film were very truthful and real, the plot itself didn't feel fully developed. The film is too short, and the relationship between José and Luis didn't feel real to me. It was a mixture of bad acting with the film rushing the relationship. The issue of him being gay and living with an overtly religious mother is not explored either. There is also a generic subplot about a straight couple that contributes nothing to the main plot. Overall, the film lacked conflict, it was very low stakes and the ending was uneventful.
I would recommend you watch it if you're gay and from Guatemala because it is refreshing to see us represented in this fashion, but much like Temblores by Jayro Bustamante, these Guatemalan LGBTQ+ movies are still treading very cautiously around these topics and don't pack the punch that a film about being gay in a homophobic third world country should.
Although the cultural elements of the film were very truthful and real, the plot itself didn't feel fully developed. The film is too short, and the relationship between José and Luis didn't feel real to me. It was a mixture of bad acting with the film rushing the relationship. The issue of him being gay and living with an overtly religious mother is not explored either. There is also a generic subplot about a straight couple that contributes nothing to the main plot. Overall, the film lacked conflict, it was very low stakes and the ending was uneventful.
I would recommend you watch it if you're gay and from Guatemala because it is refreshing to see us represented in this fashion, but much like Temblores by Jayro Bustamante, these Guatemalan LGBTQ+ movies are still treading very cautiously around these topics and don't pack the punch that a film about being gay in a homophobic third world country should.