Film Reviews by WH

The story follows a narrative I personally do not agree with. It masquerades as a sexually explicit and life-affirming story of a gay man living in Argentina. But it is neither of these two things.

The acting is a bit 'hammy' but the story bounces along and keeps your interest. I found the picture quality sub standard for a DVD movie. The music is pleasant and the locations make me want to visit Villa Mercedes.

To sum up- could have been made by a religious evangelical cult eager put anyone off even contemplating a gay lifestyle.

I can only assume that its '18' rating was awarded by a such a cult who would find the portrayal of two men in bed (with their pants on!!) as obscene. Correction -on the DVD sleeve provided it shows a rating of 18.

I must admit-having seen the trailer-I was a bit sceptical about this movie. Well- I was very pleasantly surprised. The acting is very convincing- lets face it there are some things you cannot fake! And the characters were totally believable. It was well directed and edited - and- always a sign of a good movie- I was hoping it wouldn't end. Although over 2 hours long - it never flagged. All I would say is that although extremely interesting for a gay male audience- I have my doubts as to its wider appeal. But if you fancy a good night in with a DVD and a drink- THIS is the one to choose.

We enjoyed this movie. The acting was good- and although it was sent within the narrow confines of a Chilean prison- the momentum never flagged. The story is basically the day to day life of the prisoners and how they adapt to surviving in such an unforbidding and deprived place. They satisfy their needs in the only way possible- and it works. And believe it or not- they fall in love too - irrespective of their wives and families back home.

I would definitely recommend this movie to other members. Good film.

Again its just Americanisation of the French film genre. Sloppy direction and meandering story. To be honest- basing a whole movie on the fact that two guys kiss each other on the lips is rather pathetic. Avoid at all costs.

Its a hard watch. In the South African army in 1981 it depicts constant homophobia, racism and unrelenting sadistic bullying. It even shows two recruits kissing in the bunk house.  Can you imagine that REALLY happening in the South African army in 1981???  Way over the top to my mind.  Mentally challenging to watch and we thought ultimately unsatisfying.  A fictitious representation though - to my mind- just to try to send a message.  Oliver Hermanus has lost it with this one. Can't give it more than two stars.

Having read the subtitles at the beginning of the movie that informed that the film was put together by a group of 16-20 years olds- I wasn’t expecting THAT much. But I was pleasantly surprised by their completed efforts!

This is a really good movie.  Well worth watching. Excellent performances from what I assume is an amateur cast - and the cinematography and direction are excellent.  With so much poverty in Brazil- its hard to imagine how a movie this good ever got off the ground. And with Jair Bolsonaro being your Prime Minister- and his well known homophobic views and policies its remarkable the whole cast and crew weren’t arrested and thrown into prison. Its a testament to their dedication and perseverance that the movie was made and arrived on our screens. Full marks from this viewer!!

Best movie we have seen so far this year. A much better approach- and for more authentic one-to teenage sexuality. As well as having a ' message' this movie was also highly entertaining. It didn't flag- and we were interested to see how the plot developed out over the whole 90 minutes. It reminded me of that song ' Love the One You're With' - because that's the message of the film. Sex is basically irrelevant- its the person you're with that really counts. So relevant today- and a message that is rarely conveyed on film . Its a movie that doesn't categorise- as the vast majority do.

We had to turn the subtitles on to get the dialogue.

And the relevance of the title? Anyone else worked it out?

I think it means Little White Lies- there are little ones- and there are giant ones- but very rarely-sometimes the ' little' ones are GIANT in their true implication.

Recommended.

The story zooms back and forth between today and the turn of the century- so that in the end you don't know what time zone you are in.

The day to day life in Barcelona is portrayed very well- and it gives you an idea of what it would be like to live there as a gay man.

A pleasant-but confusing- 82 minutes. Maybe you need to watch it twice?

If you fancy 88 minutes of watching young Mexican guys skateboarding- then this movie is for you.  To sum it up - impoverished youth in Mexico City skateboarding.  Hardly riveting viewing!!!!

Certainly the best gay-themed film I have seen since God's Own Country.

The picture quality and direction are superb. The lead actor certainly is ideal casting. A totally believable performance. And he's not the only one. This is a movies you could watch over and over again. It has multiple themes - accurately reflecting the choices every gay man faces in his search for happiness and acceptance. Unlike the previous review- we were left overwhelmed by the experience . Looks like south America has overtaken Europe in its filmactic depiction of gay lives - and the challenges gay men face. The only minor criticism would be the subtitles- the English language translation of the dialogue sometimes comes a bit unstuck. But it certainly does not detract from the overall experience. Highly recommended.

Yes- the actors and dialogue are French -  but after this basic fact sinks in you will realise its actually a US movie made with US dollars and for a mainstream US audience.

I found it very formulaic and predictable. We’ve all seen this story many and many times before- made for mainstream US audiences. Think ‘Blades of Glory” for example.

To be honest - I found it homophobic.  OK for straights- it just reinforces their normal prejudices of how gay men are supposed to be - but for a gay man like me-  well- next time I will ensure I really DO select a proper French Film! 

This film has NO subtitles - so it was a testament to its appeal that we continued to watch right through to the end.

Probably the most explicit sex scenes I have seen in an R18 movie ever before. It reminded me a bit of Ai No Corrida - and reveals the surprisingly very positive stance of the chinese to homosexuality. Certainly I cannot imagine this explicitness would be allowed in most countries.

Just a slight warning to those of a delicate disposition- the end of this film is very horrific.

Very slow-lots of pregnant pauses-lots of just stopping and staring. But does cover many issues affecting the LGBT community- bisexual men trying to have the benefits of a gay sex life-whilst at the same time wanting a conventional married life with a wife and children- ignorant homophobic prejudices- passing as straight - etc. So a movie that does give food for thought- and one that addresses what its like to adapt to conventionality when your sexuality points you in a different direction.

The cinematography and direction are good- and altogether a well presented movie.

Its just those slow plodding scenes that let it down!

Great gay-themed film- but a tad over-long. A couple of the 'dream' sequences could have been cut. They added nothing to the movie- and in fact could put some folks off. For example the opening ' wedding dress' scene - during which we almost stopped the movie- was pointless. And there were other occasions when we just fast-forwarded through the self-indulgence. As a story of a young gay man in a very conservative and evangelical christian choir- it was great. And the singing and tunes are good too. Well worth sticking with until the very end dedication!

NB. Warning. This movie contains multiple scenes of flashing lights. Its like being strobed!

Quite honestly- I wouldn't bother! Main feature is just 49 mins long and is basically a story of a young lad who can't get a signal on his mobile phone when his dad and boyfriend take him on a camping trip!

That,s it!