Tremores

I truly enjoyed several aspects of this film including the scenography and the environments used here. Great acting as well. I read other criticisms as accusations to the gay life on this movie but I believe the intention was to show us that could also be the hell dressed up in religion.

"Temblores" is another in the "gay conversion" film genre, so, though it's a solid enough movie in its own right, it suffers from having a "been there done that" quality.

This time around the setting is Guatemala, and the protagonist is a married man with children whose affair with another man sends his strict religious family into a tailspin. The movie marches through its predictable paces with decent if not especially memorable performances and a suitably downbeat ending.

"Temblores" isn't a film that I'm going to spend much time mulling over or have a strong feeling about one way or the other, but it does shed light on some really backwards cultural beliefs and laws in Guatemala, so if it brings some awareness to the harm yet one more country's rigid convictions are doing to a subset of its population, I can forgive it for being a bit late to the party.

Grade: B

Jayro Bustamante's 'Temblores' bit into the burning themes of Guatemalan society, such as faith, homophobia, and the effort to maintain a good, clean reputation even at the cost of personal freedom and happiness. The movie captivates with interesting approaches and strong acting performances. Unfortunately, it squanders the immense potential for something vital and thrilling by never going deep enough on either topic and only loosely touches on the conflicting emotional life of its protagonist.

Set in Guatemala, Pablo (Juan Pablo Olyslager) faces a crisis in his life when he reveals to his family that he is gay and will be moving out to be with his male partner Francisco (Mauricio Armas Zebadua).

Pablo's wife Isa (Diane Bathen) gets the courts to issue a restraining order against him so he cannot see his two children. She eventually will threaten him that unless he enrolls in a gay conversion therapy program in their radical religious church, she will take the children to America.

Overall, I thought this drama was solidly acted with realistic characters, as well as ably written and directed by Guatemalan filmmaker Tayro Bustamante.

I watched this expecting a movie about a man coming out late in life, disrupting his marriage, then watching the struggle and growth.

Instead what I got was a very dark movie that felt both anti-gay and anti-religious, and woefully depressing as it goes on to just show how everything and everyone (including his own parents) aims to destroy this man's life.

Set in Guatemala, an area I am unfamiliar with socially, it shows us how he is harshly, and uncomfortably, punished at work, with family, at church, socially, legally, and most disturbing, even medically. I do not know if this is a statement movie about Guatemalan culture, or just the harsh religious factors in the movie, but it makes for a very downbeat result.

The actors do well in their parts, though the chemistry between the two lovers could have been stronger. That was just bad writing and directing. The rest of the film itself is directed well.

The ending was severely depressing, and it just emphasizes that movies work better if there is a glimmer of hope, or even just growth by the end. This was just morbid.

If this is a statement film on Guatamalan culture, this needs to stop now. However, if this is just the writer's idea of good drama, he needs to lighten up. While the subject matter is real, it seems dated because most countries ban the activities shown in the film. However, I repeat, I know nothing about Guatamala.

I wanted to like this more because I loved the star of the movie, but the bad taste it left me with, and didn't expect, made this a downer. I would only recommend this for viewers who want a movie to reflect deeply on, and see the darker side of gay life some people experience.

Some brief nudity, but not highly sexual. Also, scenes of mild torture, deception, and cruelty.