the confusion of a teenager’s feelings in a sensitive argentinian debut film

Argentinian director Mariano Biasin’s first feature immerses us in the confusion of feelings that trouble the period of adolescence, here all the more so as the young hero discovers his attraction to boys by falling in love with his childhood friend. . Gorgeous hits theaters Wednesday, May 17.

The film opens with a scene shot in super-eight movie style. A little boy planted in front of his birthday cake, his eyes sad and worried despite the festive atmosphere surrounding him. We understand in the minutes that follow: Manuel was waiting for the arrival of his friend Felipe to let his joy explode.

We find the two boys a few years later. Manuel and Felipe are still friends. They have grown. They are in the same class, part of the same rock band, Manuel on bass, Felipe on guitar. They walk on the beach, drink a little too much, laughingly exchange these eternal adolescent jokes in the form of absurd riddles: “Would you rather have your fingernail pulled out with pliers or parachute into the middle of the ocean?”

It’s also time for first flirtations. Felipe got ahead with a classmate. Manuel is more shy with his girlfriend Azul, so Felipe prepares a love nest for them in his father’s old van, in the middle of the forest. But in Manuel’s dreams, it’s Felipe who takes up all the space…

“It disturbs me to feel this bullshit”

This first film addresses with sensuality and accuracy the theme of adolescence, friendship and the awakening of the senses. A blond down on the back of the neck, the redness of a cheek, a trickle of perspiration on a temple, the intensity of a look, a derailed voice… The very close camera and an almost zero depth of field create a blur the outside world, capturing with intensity, as in a bubble, these changing adolescent bodies. The young actor Martin Miller, all in interiority, accurately interprets the irruption of feelings and desires in full bloom of Manuel. “It disturbs me to feel this bullshit”lets go of the teenager to his father, listening, who opens a door for him: “How is it wrong to experience things? Have you talked about it with him?”. This short scene says a lot about winning fights.

The film ends on another birthday, Felipe’s, and this time it’s Manuel who arrives late. How to say things without breaking the friendship? Can Manuel and Felipe “sublimate” this experience and keep intact the bond that binds them since childhood? This is the whole question that this film explores with great accuracy, in a skilful intertwining of dialogues, silences, unspoken words, and also music, which allows teenagers to let out the overflow of emotions. , and which through the texts of the songs, allows them to express the intensity of the feelings, sometimes unmentionable, which cross them.

The sheet

Gender : Drama, Romance
Director: Mariano Biasin
Actors : Martin Miller, Teo Inama Chiabrando, Azul Mazzeo
Country : Argentina
Duration : 1h40
Exit : May 17, 2023
Distributer : Outplay Films

Synopsis : Manuel, 16, is a teenager like any other. In his small coastal town in Argentina, he hangs out with his friends and his girlfriend, goes to the beach, and plays bass in a rock band. A perfect routine for a boy his age. But his life gets complicated when he begins to feel something special for his best friend Felipe.