La partida

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.

"The Last Match," directed by Antonio Hems, delicately navigates the complexities of love, identity, and societal expectations in contemporary Cuba. The film chronicles the clandestine romance between Reinier and Yosvani, capturing the tender intimacy and passionate trysts amidst a backdrop of economic hardship and cultural norms.

Hems artfully portrays the evolving relationship between Reinier and Yosvani, highlighting their differing attitudes towards love and commitment. While Yosvani falls deeply in love, Reinier appears more reserved, perhaps influenced by societal pressures and his own uncertainties.

The film skillfully weaves in details about the characters' lives, such as Reinier's mother's approval of his relationship with Juan, adding depth to the narrative. Additionally, Hems explores themes of masculinity and sexuality, shedding light on the complexities of Cuban machismo culture and the challenges faced by individuals navigating their sexual identities.

The performances by the central male actors, García and Díaz, are captivating, conveying the emotional turmoil and vulnerability of their characters. Hems' casual portrayal of nudity underscores the raw emotions at play, adding authenticity to the film's portrayal of intimacy.

However, "The Last Match" falters in its melodramatic climax, which feels forced and detracts from the otherwise compelling narrative. Despite this misstep, the film remains a poignant exploration of love, desire, and the human experience in a challenging social context.

Overall, "The Last Match" is a thought-provoking and visually arresting drama that resonates long after the credits roll, offering a glimpse into the complexities of life and love in contemporary Cuba.

#TheLastMatchFilm #miltongarcia #reinierdiaz.

Sure, elements of this are maybe reminiscent of other gay titles, but these themes are based on real trends of the gay experience, so it's important to be patient with similarities across films from different cultures, each of which deserve their own nuanced stories told. Reiner and Yosvani's love story is memorable in their acting, the circumstances, and their decisions. Homosexuality is portrayed here not as fully forbidden but in a state of simultaneous acceptance and denial, which makes the story so unique. Both character's female partners and some family members are aware of their male lovers. I think the sad ending falls just short of being necessary based on the plot that leads up to it, but when I went back and rewatched it I felt like it did make sense the way it all played out.

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...

Being a teenager or young is difficult in all modern societies. And being gay adds some extra speculations and fears. I am gay and I am from Argentina, and in the mid nineties (when I was 25) I was fortunate to travel alone to Cuba on vacations. There, I met a Cuban young man of the same age as me, "by chance" in the streets of La Havana, and I had a little romance with him during my staying in this beautiful and romantic country. Due to this, I could live some of the situations portrayed in the film and I can say in that sense it is rather accurate. In Cuba there is not classical "poverty". They lack of desirable capitalist goods (like electronics or branded shoes, etc) but they are not hungry or without health care, education, etc. And the means to obtain these goods is through the tourists from Europe and Latin America. Well, the weather is hot all the year long, the same as the people doing things outside their houses until very late in the night. And Cubans are very romantic people in general. Well, my "Cuban boyfriend" lived with his family there. And he was openly gay. He (as the one in the film) presented me to his parents and brothers, the second day after we met. Well, the economic situation of the country (little communist island commercially blocked by its neighbor the superpower with the supportive superpower recently disappeared) took us to an uneven relationship (I had the dollars to spend), though not so much because my origin, age, job, etc.. But thanks to him, many things we did were done using "services and fares for Cubans" (not the ones for tourists). My country and specially my city is rather open to gay people, since those years. and I perceived a similar "air" in La Havanna. OK, There was not "gay dance clubs", but we went to dance to ordinary places and we danced together only taking care of not to kiss each other in public but we did it in familiar places. Well, this is my context to evaluate the film from there I feel it was well exposed by the script and director. In this case, both characters are young men, supposedly heterosexual, living and being maintained by their respective girlfriends' family, who fell in love of each other. The end of the film could be in the way it is or being more or less tragic. For me, the value of this movie is to have transporting me back to the Cuba I have known.