I wasn't sure what to expect from this film. I ended up being very impressed. Certainly a lot to think about as it unrolls.
Technically, the film is so well done. The cinematography is beautiful. Excellent and impressive use of the camera to bring us into Sandro's life and world.
A single gay man, caught (or luxuriating?) in sexual fantasies about the men around him. He lives a mundane, routine life, but constantly indulges in fantasies and trysts to satisfy his sexual side.
But being of a generation where gay sex was a more hidden pleasure, he separates his daily life from his sexual needs and fantasies. And the film seems to suggest that he is a slave to his fantasies - as many of his fantasies involve leather sex and subjugation.
He has a romantic side too, that blends well with his purely sexual fantasies. I thought this was so beautifully displayed in the scene on the Loop ride at the livestock fair. The scene is SO beautiful that I had to go back and watch it again. And it still haunts me days later.
There are disturbing scenes, where the central character, Sandro, becomes angry and vindictive. But the insight into his inner turmoil is so acute in those scenes.
The juxtaposition of real and fantasy - the outside world and the inner workings of this man's mind - is wonderfully conveyed, if at times a little confusing.
Acting is top notch throughout the film on everyone's part.
The sex scenes are so real and nicely done. They are integrated neatly into the story and film, and while they are hot to watch, I would not consider them porn, but rather, insight into the characters - and the time and place.
There's an old adage that 'who you are is where you were, when.' Sandro is a product of his era, and Ricardo is a product of a more open and progressive time. And therein lies the tension of this story.
Technically, the film is so well done. The cinematography is beautiful. Excellent and impressive use of the camera to bring us into Sandro's life and world.
A single gay man, caught (or luxuriating?) in sexual fantasies about the men around him. He lives a mundane, routine life, but constantly indulges in fantasies and trysts to satisfy his sexual side.
But being of a generation where gay sex was a more hidden pleasure, he separates his daily life from his sexual needs and fantasies. And the film seems to suggest that he is a slave to his fantasies - as many of his fantasies involve leather sex and subjugation.
He has a romantic side too, that blends well with his purely sexual fantasies. I thought this was so beautifully displayed in the scene on the Loop ride at the livestock fair. The scene is SO beautiful that I had to go back and watch it again. And it still haunts me days later.
There are disturbing scenes, where the central character, Sandro, becomes angry and vindictive. But the insight into his inner turmoil is so acute in those scenes.
The juxtaposition of real and fantasy - the outside world and the inner workings of this man's mind - is wonderfully conveyed, if at times a little confusing.
Acting is top notch throughout the film on everyone's part.
The sex scenes are so real and nicely done. They are integrated neatly into the story and film, and while they are hot to watch, I would not consider them porn, but rather, insight into the characters - and the time and place.
There's an old adage that 'who you are is where you were, when.' Sandro is a product of his era, and Ricardo is a product of a more open and progressive time. And therein lies the tension of this story.