4 Moons (2014)

By filming four independent stories on gay men at various life stages, Director Sergio Tovar Velarde keeps the focus on universal humanity.Cuatro Lunas (2014) is a Mexican romantic drama that portrays four self-contained modules of life for gay men against a Mexico City backdrop. By switching life arcs and characters, Director Sergio Tovar Velarde keeps the focus on the shared humanity and search for love (both self and romantic) of the various gay Mexican men. Unlike most cinema, independent modular narratives can be in danger of poor character development since they are short films connected by theme, but Velarde uses the form wisely. So, while some characters could be argued as not as developed as others, this is ultimately not the focus. Velarde’s focus remains to show the four phases of the moon: preteen burgeoning sexuality, young adult love and identity, long-term relationships and full acceptance, and finally, twilight years and reflection. The characters become viewer vehicles to experience these slices of life.

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The New Moon sees preteen Mauricio (Gabriel Santoyo) go from sharing video games to a secret, ultimately unrequited crush on his cousin, Oliver (Sebastian Rivera). He bravely pushes the boundaries of their initially dual curiosity. The story unfortunately, but realistically, morphs into a curiosity-turned-homophobia experience for the delicate Mauricio as he watches Oliver turn against him at school. At church, his tender confessional is also met with derision. Even at home, he can find no respite, as his father angrily struggles with accepting his only son as gay. Mauricio seemingly only has his supportive mother. This family portrayal is realistic, and Santoyo does a great job playing a brave, yet vulnerable pre-teen. It's not all doom and gloom though, viewers should hang in there for a realistic yet cheerful ending that will resonate.

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