Bruno (Sebastian Rojano) is a melancholic teenager living in Mexico City with his mother Inés (Ximena Ayala). From his bedroom he uploads home videos, chats with his friend Ian (Ari López) and with Daniela (Natalia Quiroz) an online acquaintance in Durango that he doesn’t know in person yet.
Pyromaniac Bruno likes to make little fires with the set of matches his father collected and it seems that sharing the matches is the link that remains among them since the father passed away two years ago. Inés, the mother, has Gerardo (Héctor Illanes) a new friend who is kind and pays attention to her, making Bruno jealous. Mother – son relationship is distant and difficult because of the son.
Bruno records his actions with a video camera, and bewitches himself watching the flames, seems they allow him a visual communication with his inner feelings, concerns and help him make contacts out of his microcosmos. He doesn’t pay attention to the risks and danger involved
Ian is Bruno’s friend and they burn a soccer ball on a crossway railroad and record the poetic action, afterwards, at Ian’s fathers house, they watch porn on a laptop and play video games on a TV set while speaking little to each other.
Due to Brunos uncertainties, he leaves home, stays at Ians overnight, and decides to travel to Durango the morning after reaching for Daniela, his explosive friend with whom he gets along well because she likes fire too.
Daniela lives in a conventional family of father, mother and brother, there, Bruno stays for a few days while sharing the dynamics of the group, specially playing soccer with the father Rafael (Antonio Forier). In the meantime he learns about Daniela´s concerns, feelings and wishes.
In the wave of Mexican cinema, this film presents a new queer generation of youngsters struggling with themselves to find meaningful existences, all of them share and resent homophobic attitudes and nasty remarks from their parents, the reason why they want to set everything on fire…
There are burns that hurt, but also heal.
Film from Colectivo Colmena written and directed by Mauricio Calderón Rico, premiered at Locarno Film Festival 2023
Review by José Mayorga , Guatemala, Central America lawyer and notary public, visual artist, and editor of El Azar Cultural, lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities life brings and eager to live the experience.
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