La partida

I've seen so few good 'gay-themed' films. "La partida" aka "The Last Match" is one of the great ones. From the director of another excellent film, "Clandestinos," we have a rare instance where gay characters aren't portrayed as ridiculous, clown-like stereotypes. The leads don't wear eyeliner, and they aren't go-go boys who hang out in bars, and they don't have drug problems. Instead we have two leads who are just regular people, who discover that they have a mutual attraction for each other. Living in Cuba, with a wife that supports him financially, Reinier is an avid futbol player, who is hoping to go pro, as a way of escaping a country where freedom does not exist. He also wants to escape the poverty that envelops him and his family and mates. So desperate for a way out, his own mother pushes him towards male prostitution, hoping that her young son will marry a foreigner, and thus give them all a way out of Cuba. Likewise Yosvani is in an unhappy relationship with a female, also supporting him. The two guys figure out that they like each other more than they should, and soon it turns into love. From that point everything and everyone seems set on destroying what the two have found with each other.

This is a sad story. It is romantic in a way that so few movies of this genre are. The two lead actors are great, especially Milton Garcia as Yosvani. He loves his friend in this intense way that we all wish we could be loved. His eyes are so sad, as though he knows from the start, that the love story will never have a happy ending. But he doesn't give up. This guy was brilliant.

Director Antonio Hens has a way of showing his audience a different kind of gay world, one that is free of dumb stereotypes. In "Clandestinos" we have a gay terrorist. And here we have a guy who plays football, and a street thug, who just happen to be attracted to the same sex. Films like this are so important, in that they teach the uninformed that gays are not "freaks," but in many cases completely typical men and women that just happen to be drawn to the same sex. As long as they are portrayed as silly stereotypes, the hatred and prejudice will be perpetuated. We need more cinema like this. It's a great love story, well-made and beautifully written. I recommend this movie as well as "Clandestinos," for people looking for something different.

I really enjoyed this story. I find it great to watch a gay love story that actually has a plot. And this one has it and quite fast paced.

Cuba is the main protagonist in this show. In ways it reminded me of my childhood days when just getting a candy or a flashy colored t shirt in a flimsy plastic bag was a treasure to me. Unfortunately here we see that this simplicity it's too much on the line of poverty.

It caught my attention how in Cuba a family man can openly be a male prostitute servicing men to provide for his family, role that in any other country is taken only by a woman and with shame.

A tough story but also a beautiful one. Definitely not your average gay themed film, which makes it already worth watching and made me give it an extra star.

A tough and gritty insight into young gay life in Cuba. Milton Garcia ("Yosvani") a small time rent boy and Reinier Díaz ("Reinier") an aspiring footballer live and work in poverty selling whatever they can - including themselves - just to keep their heads above the water. Needless to say, whilst their prostitution is accepted to some extent; any sort of homosexual relationship with affection, let alone love, is still very much a taboo. Antonio Hens gets the two young men to deliver strong, convincing performances as they take us through a fairly hairy story and try to give their love a chance to thrive. It's quite a tough watch and it doesn't pull it's punches...

I am sure life was not easy in Cuba before the Castros, but in spite of their nice slogans and levelling activities (often compelling), living conditions have worsened, particularly after the collapse of the socialist camp since 1990ies. So many continue or have been forced to live in poverty, and those wealthier are often engaged in dubious trades.

All this we can see in Spanish-Cuban La Partida, where daily life is ruled by earning and adoring money, and even sexuality is subject to this, no matter what God or nature has determined. And deviations from this, including feelings and caring, do not end / work out as in fairy-tales... Performances are brave and distinct, at least 1 point from me for that, plus the viewers obtain images how living and infrastructure in present Havana look like, and probably would feel pity and sad.

In XXI century, Cuban people deserve much more than doddering revolutionaries are willing and able to offer.

The background, the carachters, the acting, the script, the photography and the lighting are above the average of most gay films. It lacks in the fields of direction (the use of the camera in some dialogs), the sound (some words are missing due to the lack of vocalization of the actors and the level of sound) and a more elaborated and credible ending. Anyway, it is worth watching this Spanish film.