La Leon (Ws Sub B&W)
by Santigo Otheguy
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DVD details
Actor: Daniel Valenzuela, Jorge RománDirector: Santigo Otheguy
Brand: Water Bearer Films
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-16
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: WATER BEARER FILMS
DVD Reviews of La Leon (Ws Sub B&W)
DVD Review: Groundbreaking gay film from Argentina may bore US viewers
Summary: 3 Stars
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.
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Description of La Leon (Ws Sub B&W)
Deep in the lush river jungles of Argentina, Alvaro lives a solitary existence fishing and harvesting reeds. What sets him apart from the rest of his village is that he is gay. There are no other gay men in his world, his only means of expression is with the occasional outsider who passes through. Most of these men come via the river taxi El León, who s captain. El Turu is a mean man with a homophobic streak and a secret.Attitudes begin to change when illegal loggers appear in the jungle and El Turu accuses Alvaro of aiding them. Then again El Turu s attitude seemed to have already changed since he began watching Alvaro more closely in the shower.
This is a world where there are no signs of gay life, just men as men. These two men must battle each other over land and respect. Alvaro must live his life as he does, going from one encounter to the next. El Turu works to hide his secret and earn his crew s respect.
Santigo Otheguy s feature film is ground breaking by Argentinean standards. Never before has such an beautiful and erotic film been made about men who openly share thier feelings, both mental and physical. A must not just for gay audiences, but for all film buffs alike.
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