Kleenex alert for this queer Colombian/American touching movie of young love that gets tested to breaking point by the US Immigration authorities. This is story of two young gay Colombians, Adrian (Miguel González) and Sebastian (Juan Pablo Castiblanco) who landed themselves their first jobs after college in NY.
The film starts with showing us how much in love this thoroughly engaging couple are and who can now live openly gay for the very first time since they met as college students back home. They display a natural and electrifying chemistry together that we quickly know that they have been fortunate enough to discover their soul mates.
Their continued stay in the US however is subject to them getting them the right Visas which Adrian’s employer manages, but when Sebastian’s office manager tells him his application has been denied, it seems like their world will fall apart.
When he realizes that other avenues to getting a Green Card are more than slim ……. like finding a single girl willing to marry him…. the uncertainty on his ability to remain with Adrian in the US grows with every passing moment.
Sebastian advocates for the couple to move back to Columbia. Legally they could live as a couple there and even get married, but it is still very much a homophobic society and it may not be completely safe there.
There is however a much larger problem for their future as Adrian is still unable to come out as gay to his wealthy conservative parents . He makes a attempt in a late night phone call home but by saying nothing, he actually freaks his mother out and she catches a plane to pay a surprise visit to New York. She is even more surprised when she meets Sebastian who is introduced to her as “a roommate just visiting for a few days.”
It is almost impossible to recover from a situation when you reject an opportunity to acknowledge the person you love to anyone, especially your parents. This brings on a resolution for the ending of the film, but maybe leaving a faint hope out there for the future.
This feature film debut from LatinX filmmaking brothers David and Francisco Salazar is so much more than being just another compassionate queer love story, it is also an indictment on the whole immigration system. It may not be anywhere as severe as the poor children ripped away from their parents, but it still highlights a struggle for two gay men just seeking a better and safer life.
N.B. The film is currently streaming on DEKKOO and available on DVD from TLA Releasing 
Labels: 2021, Colombian, love story, nudity
