Plan B (2010)

An excellent film with truly superb acting. The title, "Plan B" and the description of the film as a comedy might lead one to believe it would be something of a sitcom with humorous misunderstandings and double entendres and maybe a little slapstick. It is, however, a wonderful exploration of love, sexuality, desire and the mental turmoil they can cause … but without the all too typical noisy histrionics and with none of the in-your-face dramatics.Quite often the camera stays on Pablo and Bruno for long periods, individually or together or with Laura, with little or no dialogue or action, but the confusion and emotional conflict they are experiencing and attempting to resolve is palpable. The actors playing Pablo and Bruno do a fantastic job of conveying the bonding between them over time, the heavy emotional impact as the brotherly love they have for each other develops to a level that neither of them can understand and as they struggle to find a way to express their love.If you like action & fast-paced plot development, this is not the film for you. It won't wow you with lavish sets or snappy dialogue. It is however the best movie I have ever seen exploring the confusion and conflict that surround a developing, difficult personal relationship, regardless of the gender of the two principal characters.

This small film with a microscopic budget has a few flaws, but after a number of viewings, you see everything it has to offer. Very romantic and emotionally gratifying, it is a film of subtlety and minimalism. Moving very slowly, the main characters grow towards each other and become quite intimate. Certain scenes have a more intense effect with each successive watching. It explains that being gay is about who you love and not who you just have sex with. Needless to say I really like this film and it is now one of my favorite gay films. No heavy message, it just tells a story about how two ordinary unpretentious people fall in love. That can be very rewarding in itself. So many gay films are such drivel trying to be cute and precious like a typically bad episode of Will and Grace that its nice to see something realistic and intelligent. I recommend it along with Wilby Wonderful and Patrik 1.5.

A fine motion picture about male friendship taken to the physical plane and turned into a homoerotic relationship. Certainly the undercurrent was there (as seen in the last reel), moving the characters together rather unconsciously, but the liaison had not been expressly planned. In my opinion, the script has a few shortcomings, starting with the initial proposition: a young man who cannot win back his ex girlfriend, decides to seduce the guy she is having an affair with. That is the "excuse" to develop the story of how two normal guys find out they love each other, first just as candidly as two 12-year-old kids would love each other, and then making it grow as adults, just as plain lovers. I had my doubts about watching it, but after it was finished I was more pleased than hypercritical. My problem with most films with homosexual stories is that I believe they hardly get close to what the "real thing" is: many are advertising campaigns for the unwary; others, plain pornography, and far too many, soap operas with stories that probably would get better after The End, and so on. "Plan B" goes beyond these stereotyped formulas, and tries something different for a change. Nicely acted by the two lead players, with a cast of (apparently) non-professional actors that makes things more believable. Give it a try, no matter what your sexual orientation is.

This a very understated movie. Because Spanish is not my first language, it is sometimes difficult to get the full meaning of a movie. Subtitles are not always translated with the real meaning of the dialogue. Because of the method of telling this story, and the superb acting the language didn't really matter. So much of the story is in the facial expressions, attitude, and eyes of the main characters. It takes time to get into the story, but the story is well worth the wait. You need to pay attention, put details together...but you should love this movie! I was pleasantly surprised at how much I got into enjoyed this movie and the way it was told. I watched it twice!