Los Fuertes

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.

The battle scene that opens the film sets the stage for the battle for independence and freedom. At the start of the film, and again during the movie, we see a re-enactment of one famous battle for Chile's independence from Spain. The rest of the action represents a battle for independence and freedom of two men who become entangled while one, Lucas, is visiting his sister before moving to Montreal to attend school.

The visit is limited, but while visiting, he meets a local man who works on a fishing boat. There are undercurrents of turmoil between Lucas and his parents (possibly because he is gay), and between his sister and her husband. There are also undercurrents of turmoil developing in the wider circle of characters because of the relationship forming between the two men.

And this leads to turmoil between the two men as well.

Each has his own dream to pursue, and his own life story. Will one of them sacrifice his independence and freedom for the other? Or will they go their separate ways.

There are some very sweet moments along the way, and it's enjoyable just watching these two handsome men develop in their relationship. I found the interactions, and reactions of the other characters toward the men interesting as well.

The movie is beautiful to watch, given the backdrop of the Chilean coast and the excellent camera work. Acting is outstanding throughout the film.

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.

The title is ambiguous. Los Fuertes can mean The Tough Guys or something similar as well as The Forts. These forts' history as the first ones to have been taken by Chilean nationalists in 1820 from the Spanish frames the story. Scenes of the reenactment of this historic victory take place at various times during the film and impart a sort of impregnability to the other story recounted, the hot and sultry love affair between a local bosun and an architecture student on a visit to his sister before leaving for Montreal for a post grad course.

There is chemistry between the two leads - no fake dry kissing here. Their affair is deep and swift, happening in the space of a few days but causes changes in the local community that impinge on work and other relationships. Along the way, a family relationship is mended, a childhood home revisited, a business decision is taken, a spurned lover takes revenge and all this stems from the affair that we see unfolding.

The ending is bittersweet. There is no rancour and no sentimentality. They have made their decisions.