Luz

I am a gay man with no talent..just opinions.

This is a story that Jon Garcia wrote and directed in a poignant and touching way. Mr. Garcia deftly avoided the traps of "another love in prison" movie. Mr. Garcia deftly meshed the back story into the day to day of prison. I was already a fan of Mr. Garcia's movies from his "Falls" series. I didn't know that fact till I started writing this review. Ernesto Reyes as Ruben and. Jesse Tayeh as Carlos gave stellar performances as the stars of the pic. Even the cinematography was so smooth of the calbre of and Big budget movie coming to theaters. Twell worth it and you definitely need to watch all the way through!

I had been waiting for this films release and I was not disappointed. It was very well done and I thought it had good story like, also very well acted. It may be a slight problem for non Spanish speakers as a few lines are in Spanish, but not a major concern.

This movie was beautifully written and beautifully acted! Most prison movies focus on violence and rarely on the human relationships. From the beginning we see our two main characters learn to build trust before exposing their tender sides. The chemistry between the male leads is dynamite! I easily believed that these two men, characters and actors could fall in love with each other. I would love for the story to have dug a little deeper into the growing affection between the two but there was a lot of story to tell in a relatively short period of time. We were given an ending that was befitting of the story! The acting was so convincing that you wonder if perhaps a true relationship between the two actors continued after filming. Loved this movie!

I started watching expecting to exit the movie as soon as it became a brutal display of violence.

I had a problem with the whispering of the exchanges of the characters. Maybe me, maybe my TV.

My deceased partner of 18 years went to prison for having a joint in his pocket passed out on a sofa at a party he went to that was raided.

So I continued watching because I was unsure as to why he was there. I need to know.

As it continued It became a love story in the worst of places.

I was.totally in on it. Had to see it through to the end.

And I was totally scared that the ending would be devastating.

My partner was working in a prison work program clearing asbestos from a property.

He died of cancer.

This film was two hours long, but I wasn't bored at all. The director and writer were adept at letting bits of the back story drip into the narrative of everyday prison life. Ruben, for all his diffidence and unworldliness showed he could adapt to life inside and hold his own with the best of them and that best was Carlos, with whom he shared a cell.

This wasn't a predictable drama. It wasn't just guys getting frustrated and making out. There was an overarching story. Ruben, especially, opened up and told Carlos about his past and was honest about it, especially about why he was in prison. The scene the morning after the lovemaking really affected me. Ernesto Reyes's acting was impeccable here.

Moving into the future, matters needed to be resolved regarding family arrangements. I was less convinced by the last fifteen minutes of the film, especially by the way the writer had chosen to impart tension. What we heard offscreen was unnecessary and, in my view, amateurish.

I can't say much more without getting into spoilers as this film had a linear narrative. It was well worth watching and I'd recommend it.