El tercero

The South Americans seem to have staked out very special territory in gay film: atmospheric and erotic - films that explore the many variations in homo-eroticism and sexuality and the lives of gay men with great subtlety. Much like my other favourites from Argentina (Hawaii, Plan B, Absent), Chile (In the Gray Scale), Urguguay (Leo's Room), Brazil (From Beginning to End), the pace here is slow and the story focuses on courtship and play as much as capture (or the potential of capture). What animates, inhibits, and satisfies gay sexuality is often the subject in these films and sometimes, as in this, it enacts those satisfactions.

This is a beautiful and very sexy film (in its second half) about a young college student hooking up with an older couple, and it takes the viewer much deeper into the feelings, expectations and fears of all three characters and is touching as well as very realistic to me. But the filmmaker is also a bit too clever for dramatic good: the first 20-30 mins (much too long) consists of small, difficult to see screen shots of the characters meeting and teasing online in a chat room - it's best to skip forward after a few minutes of this to the arrival of Fede, the younger "third one", at the home of Hernán and Franco. The latter are two 30-something men who've been together for 8 years - obviously they've a loving relationship, but it's gone a bit flat, esp sexually it seems. This is all marvelously (but very slowly) revealed in conversation at dinner before the anticipated sex, as are many touching and dramatically useful details of Fede's life. The film is relatively short, just over an hour, but that's still at least 20 minutes more than is essential: I found myself going back to about 35-40 minutes into the film savour over again the dinner's verbal foreplay and the intimate sexual encounter at the heart of the film.

This dinner conversation itself is marvelously well acted, as is the threesome that follows, the actors so full of pleasuring and delight once they've broken their reserve that I felt much of the same delight. The revelations, hesitations, and rapport that develop over dinner adds a distinctive depth, and eroticism, to the sex and the film overall. The actors' fine eye expressions, side- glances, hesitations, are all captured by the director.

Technically, there is a period after the dinner scene where subtitles, set against a yellow background, become difficult to read for about 5 minutes - no big deal, but as with the excess of exposition at the beginning (and resolution at the very end) this and the film require a little patience (and/or finger on the remote). But that said, it's a very satisfying film on most every level.

First off - this is NOT a semi-pornographic gay flick with shallow artificially blown up characters. Instead, it's a straight forward, semi-documentary enactment of a student hoking up with a gay couple for a threesome. There is a very long sex scene for its brief runtime, but it doesn't reveal much. You will have to wait for it for 40 minutes of a very extended conversation scene which serves to break the ice. There is not much of a plot otherwise.

So what makes this not as instantly forgettable as countless other gay dating flicks? For one – the characters look and act real. They are attractive but not overly so. They are in shape but have no six packs. Secondly, they are neither angels nor assholes. There is a little bit of drama and insecurity on behalf of the student, but he is not portrayed as a lost soul looking for sex to define his personality. The couple reveal that their relationship has lost a bit of zing after eight years, but they are committed to each other. And third, the three treat each other with interest and respect. All too often a threesome is portrayed as proof of moral duplicity or something seedy. But it is, as sex dates in general, often just another way to get to know people.

So what makes this film quite nice to me is that there is no judgment or exploitation here, just a realistic description of this kind of situation. Of course, if you want something more racy or dramatic, this is not the right film for you.

This is literally like watching an extended video documentary about an online hookup, from start to finish; there is no "story" or "drama" outside the personal revelations made during a lengthy conversation around the dinner-table. At the end, I was left wondering if they'd actually hook up again (in real life this usually doesn't end up happening in this type of situation) and if so, would a repeat be as successful? Might they even go on to become a happy triad?

In my experience it's very easy for a 3-way to go off-kilter as 2 of the 3 become totally absorbed in just each other, leaving the 3rd hanging. This was very carefully choreographed to avoid any suggestion of that happening; and was very much shown as considerate and intense "love-making", not just raunchy sex.

Be warned, there are gaps of silence---but each carries its own story for the viewer. A great little film and no sex shown but satisfying all the same. The three actors are all sympathetic and likeable. And unlike the general theme "a 3-some" it has much more to offer. Life unfolds and friendships are born. Stick with it and you'll agreee

This is a nice movie which sheds light on the life of a gay couple. I personally find the 20-minute dialogue between the three actors the highlight of the movie. It's taken in two long shots, 10 minutes per shot. The conversation really provides a glimpse into the life of a gay couple. I particularly like how the conversation is so natural and spontaneous that it is like being taken from a genuine conversation. In terms of dialogue, I think it's just as good as "Weekend" (2011), which has been praised for its natural and genuine dialogue between the two male leads.

The nervousness displayed by the male lead Fede is also praiseworthy. His visible nervousness adds layers of depth to the character and shows how nervous one can be before a hook-up.

However, I have to say there are several parts of the movie that I don't really like. First, the 20-minute chat room scene is REALLY unnecessary. The conversation is SO ordinary that it adds nothing to the movie. If you haven't watched the movie yet, I suggest you to skip that part because the movie works just fine with that scene. My other complaint is that the sex scene is almost awkward to watch. It's difficult to endure a one-shot intimate scene in which you only get to see the actors' face and chest. What's the point? Either cut it short or let the audience sees everything! Well, probably not the latter, as the sex is poorly simulated. I wonder if any of the actors gets a hard-on during the scene - it'd be pretty embarrassing!

The summary of the movie says the male lead Fede "has changed after the night", which I do not find to be the case. Not much growth is shown at the end of the movie, except that the audience catches him enjoying last night's memories, as if he has learnt something from it.

The biggest problem of the movie is that it doesn't really have a clear focus. It's not focusing on a romantic relationship, or a person's growth, or a really good sex. At the end of the movie, I don't really know what the movie wants to represent. The 20-minute dialogue is the only part that I find meaningful and can provoke thoughts on the life of a gay couple. Besides that, I fail to see how the movie works. It's still worth a watch, but only if you can endure a sex scene that's almost too awkward to watch.