Diego Ruiz has probably the largest soulful looking eyes I have seen on the screen for a long time. In the opening scene of the movie that he directed/wrote and starred in, he is all of a twitch as he is trying to persuade his neighbor, an agoraphobic Therapist, to write him a prescription for some Valium which he claims he needs to repay back to a friend. It turns out that he has acquired quite a liking for several drugs, but then again he is recovering from the death of his mother from cancer, and also is leaving his older lover who had been cheating on him. As this multi-layered story unwinds it turns out that after this visit Daniel (Ruiz) starts seeing Paula the Therapist for informal sessions that she seems to need as much as him …. and the Valium too.The plot/s unfurl in no consistent chronological order so you really have to focus to patch all the pieces together. Daniel had been an architectural student at University when he fell head over heels in love with his Professor. This emboldened him to come out to his parents, who reacted by immediately throwing him out of the house. Four years later and having caught his lover in bed with one too many interns, Daniel is now couch-surfing at a friends apartment and working at a new job in a Creative Agency.
He is an odd and slightly cold, confused young man which is maybe the reason that others seem to find him so attractive. As well as getting Paula all hot and bothered, one of his co-workers Camila takes a shine to him, and takes his straight cherry so to speak. It seems that the one thing that Daniel is fluid about, is his sexuality. He is also very self-absorbed which at times may seem endearing, but when they it is the cause of other people’s misery and tragedy, it is less easy to be so sympathetic.
Despite it’s muddled editing and an narration that is really unnecessary and even a tad annoying, there is a great deal to like in Ruiz’s directing debut which was probably made on a micro budget. His rather compelling presence is the main reason that I was fascinated in this Chilean gay themed movie and became so invested in how it played out. I think he showed that he is a remarkable talent (even without those attention-grabbing eyes) and I for one will be intrigued to see the reception that this movie gets, and also what comes next from him.
