Latin Boys Go to Hell

Quite possibly one of the clumbsiest, meaningless, and inane films of the recent months of independent movie-making, LATIN BOYS GO TO HELL lies somewhere between a gay coming-of-age drama and a cheesy exploitation spoof. It might be faint praise to say that if Ed Wood were to make a "gay" film without wire-strung special-effects, this self-important movie would be it. The story deals with two cousins, Justion and Angel (Irwin Ossa and John Davila), one of whom is a closeted gay with a crush on the other, and how a series of events causes violence. Such images as castration, religious icons, and a tacky Latino soap opera are all intertwined in a vain attempt to give some meaning to the threadbare storyline. While Ossa and Davila show some promise as upcoming actors, Mike Ruiz (as Carlos) is so embarrassingly bad that it destroys whatever pitiful potential the film has in reaching audience approval. Troyano, a director of previous short films, seems completely disinterested in either her characters or subject matter; one wonders what her aim was in working with this project at all. Shot on a shoestring budget throughout Queens and the Bronx, the film's technical limitations would have been forgivable had it had a subject matter with heart. Ultimately, LATIN BOYS really has nothing to cheer about -- either in its ambition or execution. MY SCORE: 1

Cleverly titled, and not without some merit, this 1997 flick also has it's hellish features. The sound quality is very poor, and the photography (or the transfer) is muddy. I liked some of the performances, especially by the guys playing Angel and Justin - who register some genuine on-screen chemistry. The script has a few nice ideas (look for the death imagery, some sly, some sledge-hammer obvious) but the dialogue veers toward the cliché more than the clever and in the final reels the subplot about a vain model and his jilted lover turns into silly melodrama. As usual with a Strand DVD, the minimum effort is applied to the packaging. The film isn't quite 'hell' - more like a visit to purgatory.

i thought the film was funny. i loved it alot. it was in the vein of john waters or Almodovar films.. its not for everyone...but if u get a sense of the latin culture and gay humor...its a movie for you...there was alot of subliminal witty humor...unlike other typical hollywood films...this one takes the cake..and its sexy in a very gross way. CAMPY FUN! CAMPY FUN!

I think a lot of people have missed the joke with this film - it doesn't pretend to be anything but silly inane rubbish with a thin plotline. This to me is completely obvious. I loved the trashy characters, it really reminded me of my experiences going to niteclubs frequented by the ethnic population in Melbourne. The soap opera grabs ('Dos Vidas') are the highlight, great dramatic over-the-top dialogue and the film is an absolute hunk-fest. Hey, sometimes you just want to tune out and not have to think!

LATIN BOYS GO TO HELL is an interesting, and even quite good indie film. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, LBGTH gets a lot of mileage out of its story and its budget. Combining eclectic elements, such as religion, homosexuality, body culture and ethnicity, would have been enough. The director, Ela Troyano also dares to toss in touches of Fiesta Fatal (Festival of the Dead), a psychotic boyfriend and an oft-times hilarious send up of Spanish novellas, to boot. To put it mildly, that's downright ambitious. The story centers around Justin, a gay teen, and the events that surround him. Angel, a cousin from Chicago, arrives. Justin secretly craves his cousin, who falls for Andrea, the friend of a possessive gay man, named Braulio. While events spin out of control, darting from strange, funny or dramatic; LBGTH will challenge your conventional outlook. Definitely worth a look.