REVIEW: End Of The Century
Sit back, enjoy, and most importantly feel your body heat rise, as the sexual energy between these two men arouses every red-blooded gay man in the audience.
Gay culture is explored in this LGBTQI drama from Argentina, the debut feature written and directed by Lucio Castro, a filmmaker who in the past has concentrated on short films. His latest effort, Trust Issues, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
Ocho (Juan Barberini) is having a break from his partner of 20 years, travelling from New York. He misses his freedom and needs to rediscover himself. He meets Javi (Ramon Pujol), a young man on the beach who is in an open marriage with a woman. They connect, quickly hook up and after a hot sexual encounter, Javi announces they actually met many years earlier. Flashback to how they met – how they were and how they are now, their ideals have changed with time.
End Of The Century puts relationships under the microscope – how relationships change over time, resonating that what in the past were mandatory for the longevity of relationships may in the present be insignificant.
In the gorgeous backdrop of Barcelona, what seemingly feels like long conversational pieces, the characters meticulously discuss many issues relatable to the gay community. Being in relationships versus being single, the importance of having children, and does sex with the same partner become repetitive?
Semi-clad bodies and graphic sex scenes welcomely deviate from the slow-burning nature of this film, long slow-moving camera shots and dialogue-free scenes enhancing the connection between the pivotal characters.
A relaxing thought-provoking film that may leave gay audiences re-examining their past and current relationships.
★★★ ½
