Tout n'est pas rose

I didn't really plan to see the film. A group of friends asked me to go and I agreed, so my expectations were really low. The movie ended up surprising me.

Azul y no tan Rosa might be one of the best Venezuelan films ever made. The story may be a bit too melodramatic, but it says a lot about tolerance and family relationships. The acting, even though not great, is decent. There are laughs, tender moments, sad moments and the movie is really nice to look at because of the locations.

I recommend this movie to anyone who thinks Venezuelan cinema is trash (which is not). It won the Goya Award for best Ibero-American Film, which represented a big win for Venezuela too.

Originally released as 'Azul y no tan Rosa' this film is set in Venezuela where we meet successful photographer Diego. He has a long term partner in Fabrizio who is a doctor and they are clearly in love. Fabrizio wants to take things to the logical next level, but Diego is not so sure. Then Diego gets a call from Spain from a his special female friend and lover whom he has a teenage son with. This is Armando and he has is already on a plane and Diego is supposed to meet him and take care of him for a while.

His arrival coincides with a tragic episode in the life of Diego and Fabrizio and puts an increased strain on what already is becoming an estranged relationship between gay father and straight son. What occurs is part coming of age, part dealing with loss and a lot of extreme emotions from unquestioning love to extreme homophobia.

This is one of those films that is unashamedly sentimental. The actors are all brilliant even when the plot stretches credulity and the coincidences start to pile up. That said I got all moist eyed watching this and was also able to laugh in places. In other words it was like a slice of real life where things are always going to get mixed up. In Spanish with good subtitles, it also features a fair bit of flesh on show; the opening credits feature a particularly erotic dance routine too. I found this an absolute joy from start to finish and that is despite the misgivings stated above. This is one film I can wholeheartedly recommend, gay themed but really a story about real love, real emotions and some great characters.

I'm not very fan of Venezuelan movies, basically because most of them are about the same people and have the same plot: Crime in Caracas' poor zones(barrios).

This one, is one of the few jewels of Venezuelan cinema that shows another face of the life in this country. Miguel Ferrari takes a risk in writing and directing a movie about gay love (as his first movie) in a country which is divided in its opinions about the whole "gay" subject and which is pretty more traditionalist and conservative than other Latin countries, like Mexico or Argentina, where they actually debate the topic of gay marriage. Venezuela is pretty years away from having a serious discussion of the "gay rights" topic on a governmental level. At street level it's the same: Hate crimes against gay or transsexual people are quite common and other types of discriminations are always present in every level of life. Miguel Ferrari writes and directs a story about just that subject: Gay love, discrimination and hate crimes, even knowing that it would shorten its public, but he does it in such a way that achieves to get the topic in everybody's mouth.

The art direction is great. So is the music score. As soon a the very first scene hits the screen you realize you are about to see quality material where the sound, music and photography is taken care of. The characters are well drawed and believable in every possible way. The tone of the movie is very challenging for viewers used to fast-action films, but the director achieves in creating slow moments that can get to your heart and avoids the "boring effect" that slowly-pased movies tend to cause.

The secondary topics of the movie (Transgender, domestic violence, anorexic people and people not pleased with their bodies) are also well portrayed with humor, drama and a message to the audience. But as one chartacter of the movie points out by saying "I'm going to talk about diversity" This movie is actually about diversity, and the different types of love one feels in one's life: The love to your friends, the love to the family, romantic love, love for your job and the love to yourself.

The director managed to use the camera to capture a true picture of the current venezuelan society discrimination to minorities, not exclusively sexual.

Being a movie that depicts the medium class in the venezuelan country, also imprints the idiosyncratic attitude: excess, lack of responsibility, the need for a better future and the absence of opportunities in the country, the violence and the impotence against the injustice, the love and the prejudice, the blood ties that grows stronger no matter the distances.

It's a film that has both a marvelous artistic touch and a protest underlying in the plot, that thickens as unravel while the movie goes on. By the end of the film, you'll find yourself attached to the characters stories: feeling them as your friends, suffering their tragedy and rejoicing in their destiny.

Elegant, made with care to the detail and inspiring.

This was quite a good film.

Some very nice writing, acting, and filming. There are some violent, disturbing scenes in the film, but they are integral to the story. Some parts are sad, some are very funny, and others are very touching.

The characters, and their relationships to one another are very well developed through the story, and quite well acted. Nothing boring or slow about this film.

It's a touching story about identity, diversity and acceptance. There are some very touching scenes and the movie comes together beautifully.

This is a serious film, with serious themes. I don't think the title does it justice.