Resentful at the world, 15-year-old Aristotle Mendoza (Max Pelayo) wants to blend in and be left alone, but in El Paso, Texas in the summer of 1987 he meets 15-year-old, free-spirited Dante Quintana (Reese Gonzales) at the local community swimming pool, everything changes. Dante is everything Aristotle, or Ari isn't, and his wanderlust for life and artistic spirit shake something loose in Ari--finally he has a friend. A near magical being, Dante disrupts Aristotle's world, introducing him to music, poetry, and lessons about the sky. Dante gives Aristotle permission to live in an ever expansive universe, making it harder and harder for him to maintain the facade of isolation that has protected him for so long. Their summer of adventure comes to an abrupt halt when the boys are torn apart. Armed with a new perspective, Aristotle uses Dante's absence to understand who he wants to be in the world. Ari must decide if he is going to live in the world of infinite possibilities that Dante represents. At first, fear holds Aristotle hostage and he retreats into his lonely existence. But Ari soon realizes he can't unsee the world through Dante's eyes. If only he would let go of the secrets he didn't even know he was keeping and embrace the wonders of the universe.
Others to round out the cast are Eugenio Derbez as Jaime Mendoza and Veronica Falcon as Ailiana Mendoza, Ari's father and mother respectively, Eva Longoria as Soledad Quintana and Kevin Alejandro as Sam Quintana, Dante's mother and father respectively, Luna Blaise as Elena Tellez, Isabella Gomez as Gina Navarro, Marlene Forte as Tia Ophelia and Diego Parra as Daniel.
This was directed and written with much pathos by Aitch Alberto ("Jorge Ameer Present Straight Men and the Men Who Love Them 3" (segment--"Rubber Duckie") '14, "Hara Kiri" '16) plus shorts, based on the novel by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Alberto's direction was awe inspiring with an incredible ability of showcasing the entirely two different character makeups with these two teenagers--one being flat affect, practically depressed and lonely, and the other being free spirited, outgoing and conversive. His style wasn't over-the-top which made it even more difficult when the emotions are more subtle. His very carefully, precise and well thought out script was deep, thought-provoking and still,at the same time, packed a one two punch. The angst that these two teenagers went through was honest and realistic as one can convey. Most teens--whether they be straight or gay--go through a period of time where they are growing--physically, emotionally, and hormonally, and this filmmaker nailed these 'steps of life' with class and finesse. Really, other than a small place of slowness, this screenplay was spot on. The acting by these two playing the teens were remarkable. I've never heard of them--maybe they've done TV which I don't watch a lot of--but they really showcased their ability in this film. They will receive more feature film work. I certainly can understand why this was released in what I have deemed as, 'the dead zone', because this probably wouldn't profit hardly at all during the summer and end of year film season. It just didn't have enough A-list actors or enough visual effects and explosives. It's sad, but this is the reality of Hollywood.
If you like small, independent films, this is one you'll probably like. It has a healthy combination of drama, comedy and fantasy all rolled up in an interesting rites of passage film. The acting, directing and writing, not to mention the cinematography by Akis Konstantakopoulos gsc. was stunning. At the beginning of the film, it is dedicated 'to all who had to live by different rules'. This kind of sums up the film.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG=13 97mins.
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