4 Moons (2014)

Four stories of love and disgust between men of different generations facing their conflicts and their fears

Director:

Sergio Tovar Velarde

Writers:

Anibal Astorga (translator), Sergio Tovar Velarde

Stars:

Antonio Velázquez, Alejandro de la Madrid, Cesar Ramos

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonio Velázquez	...	Hugo
Alejandro de la Madrid	...	Andrés
Cesar Ramos	...	Fito (as César Ramos)
Gustavo Egelhaaf	...	Leo
Alonso Echánove	...	Joaquín Cobo
Alejandro Belmonte	...	Gilberto
Gabriel Santoyo	...	Mauricio
Sebastián Rivera	...	Oliver
Mónica Dionne	...	Aurora
Marta Aura	...	Petra
Jorge Luis Moreno	...	Enrique
Hugo Catalán	...	Sebastián
Alberto Estrella	...	Joaquín Cobo (voice)
Astrid Hadad	...	Alfonsina
Karina Gidi	...	Laura

Storyline

Four stories about love and self-acceptance: An eleven year-old boy struggles to keep secret the attraction he feels towards his male cousin. Two former childhood friends reunite and start a relationship that gets complicated due to one of them's fear of getting caught. A gay long lasting relationship is in jeopardy when a third man comes along. An old family man is obsessed with a young male prostitute and tries to raise the money to afford the experience.

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | male pubic hair | pubic hair | sauna | male nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alonso Echanove put on weight to play the part of Joaquin. He also stopped shaving his beard.

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Soundtracks

Mimas
Composed by Enrique Espinosa
© 2015 ProyectoPandamonium
All rights reserved.

User Reviews

Interesting for sure

And interesting that (as of this writing) the one negative review here is from a Mexican who calls it the worst gay movie ever. He couldn't be more wrong. If you're reading this, reviewer, take a look at my reviews to find a selection of truly cringe-making gay movies. Try watching Regarding Billy, for example. Betcha can't make it all the way through.

Nevertheless, I think I know why someone from Mexico found this movie trite and a yawn. If you compare it to a Mexican movie like Y Tu Mama Tambien, yes, this is nowhere near that level. But it is competent, and it held my interest. Yes, it covers no new ground, but what is covered is done so in an interesting way.

Another reviewer points out how American this depiction of Mexico looks. Having lived in Mexico I would agree that most if not all of these homes would have had servants. I suspect the director felt that if servants were seen, European and US audiences would not find the characters as sympathetic. And he'd be right.

This is not a great film, but it is very good. I found nothing in this production to complain about. Well, all right, I didn't care much for the professor character or the actor who portrayed him. But maybe that's because (being in the same age bracket and out since Stonewall) I have little tolerance for closet cases--real or fictional--who have had their cake and now want to eat it.

There is a telenovista element to the story lines, but I think that's intentional. A scene where a mother's dry recitation to her son of a telenovela plot is very funny-and revealing. Let's face it. Gay life can be a telenovela.

From the Netflix description I too was expecting four short films. And I put off watching for that reason; it's not my favorite genre. But interwoven as they were worked well. I liked it. I think most American gay men will too.

Details

Official Sites:

ATKO Films [Mexico] Official Facebook

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

21 November 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

4 Moons

Filming Locations:

Mexico City, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

ATKO Films, Güeros Films, Los, Projet Kinomada

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1