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

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!

No budget "drama" about a bunch of uninteresting gay and straight Latino guys in NYC.

This film just does about everything wrong. First of all--the title. When you give a film that title you're almost promising the audience this is either going to be high camp or a sex movie. It's neither. We're supposed to take this as a serious drama. Think about this--"Latin Boys Go To Hell" and "serious drama". It doesn't exactly mix. The plot is a predictable yawner about a gay guy after a straight guy. This plot has been done to death and is so old. Also, the straight guy isn't even remotely good-looking but the cute gay guy is in love with him. Also, except for some mild butt shots, there's no nudity or sex--although the poster has one of the hunky actors with his shirt off. The dialogue is lame, the pace of the film is too slow (even at 71 minutes) and most of the acting is abysmal.

If you're going to do a film about gay Latinos have a little something more interesting to tell (and show). A definite 1.

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.