Agua

I do not often watch short films of Gay/Queer interest but if some of them are as good as this I will rectify that. I saw it in a batch of films dealing with homosexual/male bonding situations, and among a couple of others this most impressed me. Set in Mexico it shows the working life of a young man who realises that he is attracted to men. What follows is yet again a lesson in realising we are not all privileged enough to live in places like London, Paris, and other supposed centres of ' freedom '. Homophobia exists and is hard to bear in many countries, and in the final scenes of this well directed and acted film we see the full force of it. The loneliness and the noise of the last image will haunt me for quite a while. It reminded me of the Russian film ( made outside of Russia for obvious homophobic reasons ) called ' Stand '. Excellent.

Its basic virtue - the fair portrait of vulnerability. Realistic, cold, powerful. A young man, his secret, a work mate and a name . and the only reasonable solution against the terrible menace. more than a short film about homophobia, it is a film about happiness . And the fear around it. About need to integration and about the other, far by thoughts of young Camilo. Not the last, the admirable performance of Daniel Bolanos .

The IMDB synopsis is incorrect as can be easily seen in the film. This was not Camilo's first sexual encounter with another man but a regular hook-up that he'd kept secret for who knows how long. We see this because the other man knows Camilo's phone number and invites him round. There's no "realisation" that he's into men, it's something he knows and has accepted but for reasons of the harsh, macho working environment he's in, he wants to stay in the closet. I just wish reviewers and contributors would watch the film rather than rushing to agree with incorrect information.

The working environment was interesting. I had never realised that there were punts in Mexico. The physical strength needed to operate them implies a hard-bitten gang of guys doing the rowing.

Camilo's workmates are all lookers and and all macho. I can understand his reluctance to come out. And I get his paranoia when he thinks Beto has rumbled him. The events subsequent to this lead to flight and a last lingering shot of utter dejection and aloneness in the big city. It's a devastating ending.

Absolutely recommended.