Los fuertes

The film takes place in Niebla, an actual town on the southern Chilean coast. Lucas has come from Santiago to visit his sister, a dentist at the local medical clinic, before he heads off to architecture school in Montreal. The area is full of old Spanish forts, which he goes around sketching. Antonio is a fisherman who dreams of owning his own boat, who also takes part in re-enactments of the victory Chilean rebels had over the Spanish in their war of independence. The two meet and fall in love.

While there is homophobia to deal with, the biggest problem with "happy forever" is their different visions of what life each wishes to lead.

The director made good use of the area's actual history. I have sailed the islands and channels of southern Chile, and the scenery brings back fond memories. The action is authentic - both between the principals, and in scenes of everyday life.

Saw this movie during the 2020 Chicago Reeling Virtual Film Festival. The movie has a slow but steady pace. The director took great shots to document the beautiful city of Valvidia. I feel that the cinematography enhanced the story - like a supporting actor. This is a short yet sweet romance: boy meets boy, boys falls in love, boys realizes the difference in their lives However, life steps in and realities must be faced. The chemistry between the main characters is solid, supporting cast gave good performances. Overall a pleasing movie.

I saw this marvellous film this evening at the Sydney Queer screen Mardi Gras Film Festival. From the first screen shots I was entranced in this not so run of the mill love story. The two male leads are electric in their performances and so convincing as their story unfolds. as is the supporting cast. The cinematography is totally engrossing letting us into a part of the world few tourists ( and Chileans ) get to experience. I would definitely see it again . Highly recommended. And introduced by a very talented and humble young Chilean man

Los Fuertes (2019) is a Chilean film written and directed by Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo. It was shown in the U.S. with the translated title The Strong Ones.

Samuel González portrays Lucas, a young student of architecture who visits his sister in the Valdivia region of Chile. It's there that he meets Antonio, who works on a commercial fishing boat. Antonio is played by Antonio Altamirano. The men are gay, and are attracted to each other.

The plots plays itself out as the men come to terms with their relationship, prejudice against gays, and the fact that Lucas is leaving Chile to study in Montreal.

This is a film that cries out to be seen on a large screen because the Chilean landscape is so beautiful. However, it's a movie about relationships, so it worked well enough on the small screen.

We saw Los Fuertes via ImageOut, the wonderful Rochester LGBTQ Film Festival. (Virtual this year.) The movie has a solid IMDb rating of 7.2. I though it was even better than that, and rated it 9.

I just love this movie, a touching love story, very good acting and amazing cinematography. Also, this movie really inspires to visit Valdivia, Chile one day! To sum up, it would be an excellent movie choice for yourself or maybe with your love ones in a weekend night.