Customer Reviews

Broken Sky

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"Broken Sky" (El Cielo Dividido)(Spanish, 2006) is a story of young love between college boys. Gerardo first meets Jonas at a sports field on campus, and they are soon back at Jonas' apartment (The student accommodations seem to be much more than a dorm) having passionate sex. While the relationship heats up quickly, it begins to cool off just as fast, with Jonas turning his face away when Geraldo wants to be affectionate when they are not in bed. When it becomes clear that Jonas is obsessed with Bruno, a boy he met at a disco, Sergio moves in on Geraldo, whom he had been watching during his time with Jonas. Of course, Jonas fling with the other boy doesn't last, and he is soon pining to get back with Geraldo.

There are mixed reviews on this film, for good reason. First and foremost, it is a beautifully photographed, almost lyrical story people can relate to, featuring a very attractive cast. But the filmmaker chose to make a film devoid of almost all dialogue (Most of the Spanish dialogue, subtitled in English, consists of song lyrics and a few voiceovers), supposedly because he wanted to convey the emotions between the actions and words in a relationship. In my opinion, this pushes the film over the line from "arty" to confusing as hell for the most part, since there are no dialogue references to clarify points that are unclear. I could have also done without the director's habit of spinning the camera from one scene to the next (as if all sets were in one room), the frequent "fade to light" (which unfortunately made the subtitles unreadable), and the way this relatively simple story was stretched to an attention-straining 140 minutes. Truly, this is only for the film buff with patience who can appreciate the "message" the filmmaker was trying for, rather than the average viewer who wants to be told a story.

IMDB lists this film as having scored a PG-13 rating, which must be wrong; the film includes full male nudity and explicit simulated sex acts. DVD is listed as unrated, has chapter stops and no real other special features. I give the film three stars out of five.

'El Cielo dividido' (BROKEN SKY) is a daring, experimental film from Mexican writer/director Julián Hernández and as such it is bound to polarize audiences. Some will fault the film for self-indulgence while others will praise the bravery of a film of this topic to come from a country not exactly known for its flexible social attitudes.

Julián Hernández focuses on the history of a first love and without using dialogue he tells his story simply with silent actors, minimal narrative comments which serve as program notes, music, and ravishingly beautiful photographic composition. Gerardo (Miguel Ángel Hoppe) opens the film, a solo youth wandering what appears to be the streets of Mexico City finally ending up in an open amphitheater where his eye glimpses another lone youth Jonas (Fernando Arroyo) sitting staring into space. Gerardo wanders over to him, sits beside him, gains the courage to touch his shoulder, Jonas responds glowingly - and love begins. Through the next scenes we find the couple making love both in bed and in unexpected public places including the stacks of the library of the school where they both are students -and where another pair of eyes enters: Sergio (Alejandro Rojo) watches longingly as Gerardo and Jonas kiss and display an aura of passion Sergio obviously longs for.

The new couple share many experiences, all bathed in love, until they eventually go to a disco: Jonas dances with an enchanted Bruno (Ignacio Pereda) and a trace of chemistry is generated, a fact that Gerardo, watching the boys dance, senses and is disturbed. A crack is created in their bliss and that crack only widens as they each have mixed responses to what they perceive is escaping. Gerardo encounters the winsome Sergio and the two bond physically, a fact that forces Jason to reevaluate his initial feelings for Gerardo.

All of this story is told without dialogue of words but with a very strong dialogue of eyes. Director Hernández seems to want to share how love is an internalized emotion, only demonstrated with physical intimacy, but fragile as a newborn in its vulnerability to wounds. Cinematographer Alejandro Cantú finds stunning settings and lighting and sensitive explorations of love making that never exceed tasteful states. His manner of showing time elapsing is to pan walls within a room that serve as flashbacks and flash-forwards as a means of carrying the story forward. Film editor Emiliano Arenales Osorio uses some very creative techniques to keep the viewer guessing as to whether we are observing fact, fantasy, present or past. And the musical score by Arturo Villela deftly maintains the minimalist stance with simple phrases by cello, harpsichord, and violin, saving the passion expression for the use of Dvorák in Rusalka's 'Song to the Moon' as ravishingly sung by Renée Fleming

All of those praises being said, the major reason this film doesn't retain an audience base is its length: it is 140 minutes long, repetitive, and would have been much more powerful had it been cut to 90 minutes at best. It is far too visually stunning a piece of work to step beyond the patience of an audience happy to see the birth and blossoming and challenges of a first love between two beautiful young men. The actors are indeed a pleasure to watch, but in this case less is more. One wonders what Julián Hernández will create next. He deserves applause for this experimental film but hopefully will learn from its tendency toward self-indulgence. Grady Harp, January 07

Broken Sky is an interesting film, to say the least. There is little to no dialogue and, while the movie's theme is discernable, there really is no plot as far as getting from A to B. The lighting and cinematography are very dark and will be looked at as amateurish, which I disagree with ("mood" anyone?).

The story is engaging enough: two young men meet, fall in love and eventually deal with what all young people deal with (is the grass greener on the other side?). The ending is ambiguous, many people will also hate that, and it's hard to tell where it actually fits with the story b/c of chronology (very similar to another one of my very favorite gay movies, Come Undone, which leaps back and forth between past, present and future).

The two leads are hugely responsible for helping to make this movie enjoyable and moving. Because there is little dialogue, they have to express whatever emotion you imagine the storyline dictates which is difficult because people will look at the film in completely different ways b/c of the lack of a set timeline. Miguel Angel Hoppe (Gerardo) has an angular poutiness and expresses beautifully the wide eyed wonder of love. Fernando Arroyo (Jonas) is sensual, dark and steely--a perfect foil for Gerardo.

It has some of the most open, erotic and honest lovemaking I've ever seen in a gay movie, which is a welcome change from the furtive glances that are somehow supposed to amount to love. You can actually see/feel the heat between the couple. There's also no angst about sexuality, they kiss openly and frequently, and no one is dying of AIDS or any other gay cliché you can think of. The film takes some getting used to (could have sliced 30-40 minutes off its length) but the emotional rawness and openness are what eventually pulled me in and kept me watching. To most American film audiences, Broken Sky will be a frustrating experience, but for me, this movie is right up there with Come Undone and is now one of my favorites.

First off, I want to preface this by saying that this movie is not for everyone. There are those who like things spelled out for them in a movie and those who like a challenge, and this movie is a challenge to watch, but well worth it. There is not a lot of dialogue in this movie and I read somewhere that the director did that because he wanted to capture the scenes before and after the characters would have spoken. In the heat of the moment, so to speak. So what we see are the characters at their most raw and vulnerable, and entirely naked in some cases. Without dialogue to rely on, the actors are forced to use their facial expressions to express their emotions which they do superbly.
I have to say that I found everything about this movie refreshing. I like the cinematography and the use of vibrant colors in certains scenes as well as the muted tones in others. Everyone in the movie was just plain beautiful to look at and at first I felt that the movie seemed a bit long, but then when it kept going there came a point where I didn't want it to end because I had become so invested in the main characters who did not seem superficial at all. They were very believable as we have all been in similar situations in our youth. It seems there is always something better on the other side, but is there really? I think the fact that the storyline is not totally linear might bother some, but I found that it made the story more interesting as it seemed to provide alternative versions or character perceptions of what was going on.
I was so excited by this movie that I had to order the director's first film "A Thousand clouds of Peace" which is filmed in a similar way (little dialogue, much longing stares, etc...) but I found it to be not quite as good. Perhaps my expectations were set so high by this film. Still, I think this is a director to watch for. Next to Tsai Ming Liang, I think he is my second favorite director now.

The first time I watched this movie, I was thinking .......what????? All that camera spinning had my head spinning, but even then something out of the ordinary seemed to scream right out of the screen.Then, out of sheer boredom (because every movie I own I've watched a thousand times already) I watched again. It suddenly was like a lightbulb went on in my head. Since then I've watched it two more times and every time I see something new that I haven't seen before. This is a brilliant piece of art. All my complaints from my first viewing have become positives. The lack of dialogue works. The slow movements works. The spinning works. And the final coup is the masterful use of the credits to give the final ending of the movie. The music and songs selected blend in seamless and the acting is superb. As with everything in life, nothing is perfect and use of lighting could have been better and there was too much "choppiness" to the feeling of the overall story. But, still, in a matter of weeks, this has become one of my top 5 fav movies of all time. I'm glad now I was bored enough to watch it a second time. I have a feeling I'll watch again a hundred times. Amazing!!

Watch out! You might get hooked on this film, even if it's slow moving and requires a great deal of patience to sit through. But the images are well worth it, and the love story just might carry you through. Amazing, innovative editing. And erotic, sexual images will draw you in, if you are tuned into to two (or is it three) boys falling in love with each other, and if the boyx are as exotic looking as Jonas, Geraldo, and Sergio. As I said, you might get hooked. I have spent several evenings watching this film, getting lost in its magic. If you like excellent cinematography, this is for you.

I don't know what the reviewer "Gordon Larko" is smoking. For some reason, he feels compelled to leave the EXACT SAME horrible review and 1 STAR rating for all GAY-THEMED movies. Probably a "personal problem" of his. Hopefully this review will help correct this imbalance. I can't believe AMAZON is allowing this GAY BASHER to use their website as a venue to spread his hate.
By the way, This is an absolutely WONDERFUL movie!

The whole movie can be summarized in 10 minutes. The characters barely speak, and it made me fall asleep in the middle of the movie. No storyline either.

Too long, too repetitive and almost no dialogue creates an extended agony that sometimes might be confusing.

"Broken Sky" is a foreign film that is watchable for anyone because director Julian Hernandez does an amazing thing: He tells the story with hardly any dialogue at all. In fact, a full 20 mins. pass by until the main characters speak..and even then, the dialogue is brief. What Hernandez does instead is tell the story through body language & subtle expressions as the camera follows the characters from one place to another.
The main characters, Jonas & Gerardo, are 2 beautiful Spanish youths who meet & fall in love at college. Their meeting begins passionately in a love scene that captures the exquisite thrill & discovery of love with someone new as the camera rests in one spot & watches the heated urgency between the boys. As the story progresses, the lovers' happiness begins to evaporate after Jonas begins to stray into the embrace of another. Subtly pushing Gerardo away in bed, eventually Gerardo follows suit, accepting the affections of Sergio, who has been shadowing the couple for quite some time.
"Sky" becomes a lyrical study in passion & pain as the characters become entangled in their own emotional webbing. It's an example of what happens when you push someone close to you away...and then, when the two finally re-unite, it is too late to retrieve what was once there. As one of the songs on the track warble, they become "close, yet so far away".
Its ending is bittersweet as Jonas & Gerardo tearfully realize the damage they've created, although they are forever close to each other in their hearts.
Hernandez takes a casual approach to the pace, in which scenes in bed alternate with public scenes (most notably, the gay dance bar). "Casual" is the word; the running time clocks in at 140 mins., quite a length for a film such as this. So you have to have a great deal of patience in order to find out how it ends. The director also eschews using the "complete camera rotation" method, in which we expect to see another person in the room once the camera stops.
"Broken Sky" is not for everyone. However, its portrayal of passion is honest, and its artistic range of emotion is unsurpassed.