José

José (II) (2018) is a Guatemalan film co-written and directed by Li Cheng.

The movie follows José (Enrique Salanic) as he goes about his marginal life in urban Guatemala. Manolo Herrera plays Luis, José's lover, and Ana Cecilia Mota portrays his mother.

The movie doesn't move forward with a traditional plot. It's more of a series of vignettes strung together because José is in them. José is gay, but his life would be hard if he weren't gay. Being gay in Guatemala is dangerous, so that adds a definite level of tension to his life and to the film.

His mother also leads a marginal life, because she's selling food without the proper license, and she gets driven from spot to spot by the police. She only has two loves in her life--José and the Evangelical church to which she belongs. It wasn't clear to me whether or not she knew José was gay. She knew that something was happening, but she didn't appear to know what it was.

As the credits to the movie were rolling, we learned that each episode was based on a real event that happened to one of the many people to whom the filmmakers spoke. That's apparently why the film was episodic--it was based on something that really happened to someone in Latin America. (Not just Guatemala.)

We saw this movie in Rochester's wonderful Dryden Theatre at The Eastman House Museum. It was screened as part of Rochester's great ImageOut LGBT Film Festival. This was the film's New York State premiere. My compliments to the festival organizers for bringing the movie to Rochester.

I enjoyed watching the movie on the large screen, but it will work well enough on the small screen. José has a weak IMDb rating of 6.3. It's not a great film, but I think it's better than that.

I recently saw "Jose" at "Censurados" film festival in Lima, Peru - they specialize in featuring international films that are facing difficulty reaching some audiences / some countries because of censorship: due to government, industry, and/or social barriers. So I think it's an especially important film be seen and debated, I say let the public decide for themselves. My main observation/interpretation of the film is this: at the beginning of the film, Jose is disconnected from his Mayan cultural heritage (what academics call "erasure", due to colonialism and neo-colonialism). As he faces multiple problems he goes searching and re-connects with Mayan knowledge and spiritual space at a place called "Quirgua", and then he sets out on life again with renewed determination and inspiration - though life won't be easy (that message would be dishonest)

Winner of the Queer Lion Award at Venice Film Festival, director Li Cheng's sophomore feature is a modest, highly touching and perceptive drama about financial struggle and sexual identity, highlighted by the conflicts imposed by a intolerable society in Latin-American countries. First-time actor Enrique Salanic gives a compelling, utterly convincing performance as the protagonist, a young man living with his mother in a small town in Guatemala. They both work hard in tough jobs, trying to make ends meet, avoiding corruption and crime as decent citizens. José maintains a secret love affair with another young fellow, who dreams of leaving the country for a better chance of surviving and to experience freedom for their choices. Conflicts surge among them, as José is strongly attached to his mother, a co-dependent relationship open for any sacrifices. Cheng examines crucial topics on behavior and acceptance with simplicity and honesty. He also conceives a striking look at poverty and hopelessness, while depicting the pleasures and risks of a Latin gay coming of age experience.

Jose is the only child who is still living at home with his mother, with both having to start a commute before dawn to their respective jobs. Jose's sexual release is with men in a hotel that rents rooms by the hour. When offered chances for a long-term relationship, Jose has a battle between love and loyalty to his mother.

I saw this film at the Inside Out LGBT film festival, with a Q+A with the co-writer. The director and writers spent time in Central America interviewing subjects, and this is a composite of their research. Unfortunately, references to Guatemalan culture and history could be lost to foreigners. Rather crucial to the story is the frequency mothers may hang on to their youngest children to avoid being alone (there is a reference to Jose's sisters). Other references are to a civil war and an earthquake, both of which killer a great number of people, but may be extraneous to the main theme of choices in life.

The film is shot in a raw, gritty style, but that suits the environment the characters live in.

In the middle of the movie, there is at least 15 minutes of romantic scenes of Jose and Luis - making love, covering each other, eating together, driving on a motorcycle, kissing, etc, are the single most romantic scenes I have ever seen in a movie, yep you are right, that is, including all heterosexual movies. The extra hot sexual scenes in the DVD version is such a big plus.

Come on guys, don't you feel it?