No astronaut will refuse to look at the stars…
In this romantic comedy from Argentinian Teddy Award Winner Marco Berger (one of Queerguru’s very favorite queer filmmakers) Javier Orán and Lautaro Bettoni are Pedro and Maxi, friends from childhood reunited years later at a beach house with a group of friends, during a weekend.
While living in Spain, Pedro had the chance to live as an openly gay man, and he seems to be comfortable in his skin. Maxi has lived in Argentina by hetero-normative rules, has had girlfriends, has felt attraction to men, and everybody knows.
Well chosen locations, camera angles that provide intimacy and the appeal of the two male leads are the hooks in this talky picture that strongly, refers to Marco Berger´s early films where tension is latent but nothing erupts. There is an additional ingredient in Astronauts´ story, Pedro and Maxi agree on playing a game: to tell their friends they are interested on each other as a couple.
With incessant flirting, the two friends talk about the universe, planet Earth, Mars, the stars, the Milky Way, super rockets, black wholes, a planet and the astronaut that lands, and to enter into orbit. In the dialogue even one of them refers to shit as a healthy gift and to Piero Manzoni´s conceptual art work.
It is not until the last third of the film that terms of understanding and attraction are clearer amongst the protagonists, and a happy ending closes the narrative.
The Film had been selected as the Opening Night Gala, at Queer Screen, Mardi Gras Festival in Sydney Australia and is also nominated for Sebastiane Award 2024.
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.
Labels: 2024, Javier Orán, José Mayorga, Lautaro Bettoni, Marco Berger, Queer Screen, review, The Astronaut Lovers
