Customer Reviews

La Leon (Ws Sub B&W)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, I gave it 4 stars and not five because of what I felt was an unresolved ending. On the other hand, that ending is consistent with the film's depiction of the misery and tedium of life in one of Argentina's river deltas. American reviewers complain about the lack of content; I must point out members of other cultures not Hollywoodized to the point of stupefaction may find this film quite subtle. It discovers homoerotic desire where one would least expect it: among the lower classes who have little time for anything but the business of surviving. It exposes homophobia as a mask for such desire. And, in a "rape" scene, it turns the tables by having the "rapist" and the "victim" act out their desire for each other. I recommend it, but only for those who have realized that film reflects and critiques culture.

The lush river jungle in the northern part of Argentina is the setting for this award winning 2007 film from that country. The main character is Alvaro, who fishes and cuts reeds for his meager living. Beyond that, he coaches the local successful youth soccer team, and is otherwise a loner, not surprising for a gay man in such an isolated area. Whatever trysts he manages to have are with strangers passing through the area, usually arriving on the area's water taxi, "La León" ("The Lion").

El Turu is the owner and operator of "La Leon," which locals depend upon for their mail and trips to town, which gives him a perceived position of power and influence. He is fiercely hostile to any outsiders who arrive, and has tormented Alvaro as well, having figured out that he was a homosexual. However, whether the setting is a big city in the USA, or a remote jungle village in Argentina, it's still a fair assumption that the person who most vocally opposes gay or lesbian likely does so because he is insecure about his own sexuality.

"La León" is a tough film to rate. It deserves the many awards it has received for its groundbreaking (for Argentina) depiction of an unapologetic gay man, portrayed in a (mostly) positive and non-stereotypical manner. The photography is likely impressive to an art film buff, with its stark, barely-lit black-and-white photography with a slight sepia tone. The director lets his story be told by actions rather than dialogue (which obviously makes the relatively few subtitles easy to follow), leaving long passages in absolute silence while we try to gauge the characters' thoughts. By US standards, this gets more than a bit tedious and boring, the poorly-lit scenes and lack of dialogue make it hard to follow, and the film really doesn't cover any new ground, other than retelling a familiar type of story in a new place. There is also a rape scene that bothers me, not because of the violent act, but due to the reaction of the victim. I can't give it more than three stars out of five.

Not rated for US viewing, but would be a hard "R" due to nudity and sexual situations. DVD has no extras other than trailer (in Spanish) and Scene Selections. Region 1 DVD has English sub-titles, which cannot be turned off.

I suppose if one has the sensibilities of an upriver, up-jungle Argentinean, this film might be interesting. But, someone like myself----raised in US culture----will likely not find it so. Primarily a work of pastoral, jungle river scenes and little dialogue, you won't find much in the way of action. And if you're a fan of the gay film genre, you'll find little of "that action" here (and what there is, lighting makes hard to see). Probably you will have to be, or "think" you are, an aesthete if you are going to enjoy this movie (and perhaps playing to that trait explains the reasoning behind the use of all-Black&White photography).

Maybe in Argentina this film might be "ground breaking" (DVD back cover "speak"), but in this country there are many of us it will not speak to. Like many third-world and near third-world produced movies, their directors / writers think they're producing something of real substance and interest. Unfortunately, in almost all cases, outside the boundaries of those locations, that is not the case at all----even though US gay video production companies releasing these films would have you think otherwise.

Providing me nothing new in its glimpses into human behavior, this DVD is a "toss away" for me, but..........if you see enough of yourself in this lead character's demeanor, it may be a "keeper" for you.