Everything Is Free

This film is a real trip into the mind of Christian! The surface of the story is how Ivan becomes obsessed with Cole, the brother of Ivan's best friend Christian (consider this name and how he acts toward Ivan and the symbolism to religion). Christian tells Ivan "I love you man!". But when Christian discovers Ivan is having an affair with Cole, Christian turns on Ivan with pure hate. And threatens to kill him! Most of the story deals with Ivan feeling lost without Cole and the rejection by Christian.

What we are never shown in the story is Christians relationship with his brother Cole. Is Christian protecting his brother from Ivan? Is Christian jealous of Ivan because Cole is giving Ivan what Christian cannot achieve? Or does Christian consider Cole his property?

Christian tells Ivan in a scene of anger that Cole is not like Ivan. This statement is the only insight we are given into how Christian perceives Ivan. It's a real mixed message. Christian loves Ivan as a friend as long as Ivan keeps to himself. But once Ivan breaks that barrier Christian cannot accept Ivan as a friend.

This is a beautifully shot eyeful with a good score, decent acting, and good production values. It concerns a gay American artist living in Colombia, who has no self-esteem, spending the film chasing after, falling in love with, and being emotionally *and physically* abused by, straight guys. Yes, there are self-loathing, dysfunctional gay men like this, just as there are straight analogues. I don't know whether this is supposed to be humorous (it doesn't seem to be) but given that cinema tends to make audiences read minority characters as archetypes or stereotypes, this is a film straight people shouldn't see, especially those who don't know many real gay men--who are absolutely *not* like this. I was very uncomfortable throughout this film. The complexity of the relationships is also never explained: best friends--one straight, the other other gay, and the straight friend's ostensibly straight brother for whom the gay friend falls in love at his dire peril, causing a whirlwind of havoc, with no background information. The version issued in 2019 and reviewed by everyone here is highly re-edited--for the better, I might add, running 87 minutes. The 92-minute run time listed on IMDb (actually 91 1/2 minutes) refers to the initial 2017 release.

This movie had so much potentia, but unfortunately it is one the most discombobulated pieces of art since......since the last Jackson Pollock...worth a watch but it ain't no masterpiece. 😏

The whole film is just so cringe that it deserves a place on tiktok.

I liked this film. The story and characters were interesting and Brian Jordan Alvarez is very watchable. Good cast of supporting actors.