Hawaii

One of my favorite gay films ever. A charming tale about a young man (Martín, played by Mateo Chiarino) who is down on his luck, homeless and poor much of his life who returns to his birth town and randomly goes to work for a childhood friend (Eugenio, played by Manuel Vignau) as a handy man. The wealthy Eugenio, who is gay, takes a liking to the attractive Martin and eventually provides him with clothes and a place to stay. Eugenio subtly hits on Eugenio, who is seemingly blind to the advances. Both characters are deftly played, very nice directing and a storyline that at times is suspenseful. Won't give a spoiler but the ending is worthy sticking around for. Very enjoyable movie! Parental alert: frontal nudity by both actors, but not overboard with it.

a beautiful film. for silence and words. for the tension and new values of ordinary gestures. for the definition of friendship who explores the nuances more than significance. for the special joy, high delicacy, science to use the detail in gentle manner. a film about a meeting after long time, the search to reconquest the years of youth and the root of present dialog. sure, it is not a surprise. Argentinian cinema has many special films but this case seems be real special. for the tension who has not only sexual level. for the wise manner to use each scene as seed of the other. for the spring air , using a form of innocence who becomes the bridge between characters. a film who is not bad to see. for a rare state of emotions.

Finally got to see Hawaii by one of my favorite filmmakers, Argentine Marco Berger. I was not disappointed, what a beautiful film full of tension, beautiful imagery and fantastic mood. Manuel Vignau, whom we've seen in Berger's film Plan B is mature in this film, exciting, intriguing. And balancing this portrayal is the also fantastic Mateo Chiarino. Both are just purely fantastic. The film is full of layers that are to be explored and understood for emotional context and in there is where you find the strength of this film which is full of silence, yet so much is being told. I personally love films like this and Mr. Berger is a master at showing and not telling, yet the small moments of conversation between the characters seem so full of importance and nuance you cannot help but to completely lose yourself in their story, this is a film that deserves a watch and maybe a couple more after that.

It feels just like when you were a kid and you felt attracted to that friend of yours:

The silent moments waiting for something to be said, the observing, thoughts running through your head, failed attempts to get attention in the right direction, the insistence, the uncertainty... The "I want you but I want you to be the one who makes the move."

With this movie I can remember the sensations I went through while discovering what true attraction feels like. They do a great job in beautiful silent scenes that comunicate way more than the spoken ones.

I watched this movie last night and really enjoyed it. The two leads are attractive and enjoyable to watch, and the acting was wonderful - the unspoken attraction was very evident on their faces - and the slow build up rather than just one pouncing on the other immediately was a refreshing change.

The film's quiet scenes to me were actually a great metaphor for the unspoken attraction....how often do we find ourselves attracted to someone and longing to tell them, but remaining silent and just 'observing' them from a distance? There was a subtle beauty in the non-dialogue filled moments that allowed the actors to convey what the characters were feeling through their eyes, their smiles, etc.

This being a foreign film was, to me, a lot better than it would have been as an American made offering. I have enjoyed many American made gay films, but I have to confess that the foreign ones are, to me, overall better in story and quality, plus the gorgeous scenery of the locations are a plus as well.

Gay-themed films, which I watch a lot of, have to go a long, long way to surpass what has become my favorite in years (Esteros) but this film definitely ranks up in the pack of ones I've really enjoyed over time.