"Aya Arcos" did not remind me of any other film that I had seen before, but it did remind me of myself as a young homosexual man in the 1970s, carefree and vibrant, and joining theater groups, mini-orgies, and (absent in the movie) political movements; and it reflects me in old age, as a still passionate theater writer and director, although a bit wiser than Edu when it comes to my love life at 74. I feel writer-director Maximilian von Moll is quite fair portraying the young and the old, while reminding me of another times, when I saw so many dear friends die of AIDS, and I even knew of the case of a wrong diagnosis that had tragic consequences.
From this side of the experience of watching the movie, I found it appealing and moving. I also liked its color palette, some compositions, a few remarkable shots (as the Ipanema beach during sunset, with the sun hidden behind big clouds), and I found Daniel Massi's performance as Fábio, a tender, endearing, and honest construction of a young man finding his place in life, society and Earth. But I must admit that "Aya Arcos" is quite sloppy, especially in its editing. It is true that Moll's camera work is sometimes clumsy and erratic, but it seems to me there was enough material to cut those raw edges and the lack of raccord between two shots in some instances, and give a more refined finish to a film that merited a little more care, with a few remarkable quiet scenes where silence is an effective source of inner expression (as in the two different scenes when both Edu and Fábio discuss their laboratory results). Some parts are not good at all (as the ayahuasca scene) and others are not bad but you can do without (as Edu's meetings with his girl friend).
I do not think that this movie is for the "An Early Frost" & "Philadelphia" crowd (mostly integrated by middleclass persons), I believe it appeals more to "the people". I can appreciate both groups, I like industrial and independent cinema, good and bad movies with redeeming values. But I cannot stand the "discreet charm" of bourgeois euphemism. I prefer crude directness. So, for me it was not as bad as some say. I truly thank Moll for making "Aya Arcos", and I enjoyed it.
