Tu me manques [I Miss You] **** (2019, Oscar Martínez, Fernando Barbosa, Rossy de Palma, Reyes Antelo, Erwin Berzain) – Classic Movie Review 12,709

A Bolivian father seeks out and confronts his late son’s ex-boyfriend. Rodrigo Bellott’s 2019 Bolivian drama film Tu me manques [I Miss You] is especially thought-provoking and moving.

A Bolivian father seeks out and confronts his late son’s ex-boyfriend. Writer/ director Rodrigo Bellott’s 2019 Bolivian drama film Tu me manques [I Miss You] is especially thought-provoking and moving, and very nicely handled film-wise, pulling off the hard-to-achieve trick of a play within a movie. It handles its many themes adroitly and gracefully: death of lover, death of son, gay suicide, coming out and homophobia among them.

After his son Gabriel (Jose Duran) dies, the father Jorge (Oscar Martínez) arrives in New York City from conservative, homophobic Bolivia to confront Gabriel’s ex-boyfriend Sebastian (Fernando Barbosa). He finds Gabriel has died by suicide, plagued with a toxic cocktail of internalised homophobia, religious homophobia and appalling pressure from his mother. While Jorge and Sebastian clash over Jorge’s inability to accept his son’s sexuality or the truth in general, Sebastian channels his grief into creating a play celebrating his lost love, in which Gabriel’s turmoil is transformed into a provocative and moving stage triumph.

Tu me manques is very nicely, very carefully and intelligently written by Rodrigo Bellott. The acting is charismatic, with Jose Duran superb and Fernando Barbosa excellent. Tu me manques deserved so much more attention and rewards. It managed the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenwriting for Rodrigo Bellott at Outfest, where it premiered. It was selected as the Bolivian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but inevitably not nominated.

The cast include Oscar Martínez as Jorge, Rossy de Palma as Rosaura, Fernando Barbosa as Sebastian, Jose Duran as Gabriel, Rick Cosnett as Chase, Dominic Colón as Alonso, Ana Asensio as Andrea, Reyes Antelo, and Erwin Berzain.

Release dates: 27 July 2019 (Outfest (US)) 22 August 2019 (Bolivia).

Running time: 105 minutes.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,709

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