Broken Sky (2006)

I love how a film with little dialog can generate as much discussion as it has in this forum, and I think it's a very productive kind of discussion.I've seen some other films that make the artistic choice to exclude homophobia/discrimination from the world they depict. In this film, that artistic choice is echoed by the choice to exclude dialog. What you are left with is an opportunity to appreciate the depth of male-male feeling while simultaneously being held powerless to use dialog to relate that private, intimate meaning to public life.I was so scared when Sergio kissed Gerardo at school, but then I realized the film had removed the possibility of fear and had done so without giving any explanation or opportunity to understand. My fear had been obviated, and I received a kind of emotional shock, a positive shock to be sure, but still a shock.I think the key to this film is to allow it to push you past your limits. You may experience it as tedium, but you can choose to view that feeling differently. It's a demanding film -- give in to its demands, and it will give you more than you expected. An earlier review ("Amazing") captured the feeling well: He was bored the first time, but he really got it the second time.

I usually find most gay cinema quite horrible - the writing, the casting, the acting, the directing. This film however was truly remarkable. Yes it is long and moves slowly, but it captivated me the entire way through. I was intrigued. I felt like I was watching an old movie from the silent ere. And I was very thankful that it was not some predictable-tack-on-a-resolution ending. I have a difficult time calling this a gay film. Yes, I know it's all about love and relationships between guys. But the story just as easily could have been about a man and a woman I think. It's really just a story about life, love and tragedy. How does one continue living with a broken heart? Very little dialog, but the film speaks volumes.

This has been a long expected banquet, and a generous one. From my humble opinion, "Broken Sky" is a landmark for this country's cinematographic art. I was deeply moved with such a well-thought portrait of loneliness, and its rhythm has been smartly solved, excellent production and music, and you can tell someone with experience has set up this piece. Once Julian Hernandez decides to skip the obvious, superficial dialogs, the plot is nurtured by long periods of silence which reveal a given need for them, even by conveying that the characters are split apart, as well as when they communicate with each other through their inner monologues. "Broken Sky" solves itself out, though it leaves an interesting watermark by not yielding to stereotypes, and -for instance, by demystifying the Mexican gay ghetto. This opens a magical ground, for the given and missed encounters, when as a viewer, one can dress up the character's egos and hearts, placing from one's mind the thoughts and insights for them, to fill up such apparently void, mute spaces. Then you are taken by the hand of the splendid traveling and panning shots to the very edge of existential cliffs -theirs, yours, ours for that sake. "Broken Sky" feels like a sequel to "A Thousand Clouds..." and leaves me yearning for more. I need this mirror again. For a moment, I felt taken into Skolimowsky's "Deep End", judging from the Alejandro Cantu's palette, or even sequences that seem like a tribute to Fassbinder. Therefore, I cannot dare to stick "Broken Sky" in a regular category. It's been a while already since "Dona Herlinda and Her Son" double standard, or the first homosexual kiss in "A Place Without Limits". This is not a "gay" movie per se. This is an honest effort here.

"Broken Sky" is an art film with great performances, visually entertaining (stills/photography shots during credits are superbly done!), and plot treatment not usually seen in any gay films. Some people may find scenes excruciatingly long, but I've enjoyed every moment of it and the journey the director wants to convey in this movie. You must know that you need this arduous shots to feel the emotions of the characters in the movie. The sex scenes are tastefully done, not vulgar, and the gratuitous frontal nudity is significant (in one scene, main actor examines his body/self on the mirror). I've always admired Latin cinema movie-making as mostly they always get the right texture and lighting for their 35 mm. movie. In totality, it's one of the best films I've seen during L.A. OUTFEST 2006 (next to movies: "A Love to Hide," "Boy Culture" and "The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros"). -- Oliver Carnay