"It s December 24th, 1986 in Santiago, Chile- and it´s scorching hot. For handsome Borja, a seventeen-year-old film-buff, the hours pass slowly. As evening approaches Borja settles down at the dinner table with his mother and sexy brother Vicente to toast Christmas Eve and drink the traditional alcoholic Christmas eggnog, Cola De Mono. Inevitably, too much heat and too much Cola de mono, mixed with the burgeoning sexuality of the two brothers, combine to explosive effect. What exactly will be unwrapped this Christmas? For a mother and her two boys who like boys, no Christmas will ever be the same again. "
Y**I
Gay Erotic Thriller
What a great movie! A very thrilling original take on the motives exploited in the past by Brian de Palma except in this case it is a twist on gay male sexuality and all its attending hang ups as related to male nudity and strong male sexual expression. The pace is slow and suspenseful allowing great opportunity to delve into the psyche of young gay men growing in a single mother family. Love, brotherhood, weirdness, and most importantly male intimacy with naked (very) naked guys - they are all portrayed in close proximity to your eyes and their faces. And it is deliciously perverse and a pure pleasure to watch. Perfect Christmas fare! As long as one remembers that it is a genre movie about very free gay men in the very oppressive and repressive world around them, then you just enjoy the ride.
P**Y
Strange but entertaining
For a 3rd rate film it isn't bad, but teh story is really weird and random. The mother is a mess and thats where the "thriller" part comes in. I can't say I loved it or I hated it, I think it is a good effort but it could have been better.
A**A
Really good but weird
It was worth my time especially the young guy.
D**N
I loved the film warts and all!
From the other reviews I'd have to say there's little "inbetween" with this movie. People either hated or loved this movie. I was of the latter. I thought the first half of the movie was brilliant and definitely worth the price of admission. The remaining half of the film seemed it would have been more appropriate if it were portraying the other whack job of a brother. Nevertheless it kept me guessing. I know where the dislike for the negative portrayal of the gay lifestyle originated but isn't it time we loosened up on all the pooh poohing on all that is not positive. And while I'm at it why all the silliness about viewing a little (not literally) cock and ass? Some gay men are so sensitive!
T**E
How can a gay film with an interesting premise and so much male skin and sex be so boring?
Actually, I wasn't really bored until 2/3 of the way through, which is where the film should have ended. After that, everything changed gears and genres from quirky drama with comedic undertones to stylish slasher film, then managed to go downhill even from there in the last ten minutes.Highlight by far is the extended bedroom-invasion scene where the younger brother takes it upon himself to pick the lock on his older bro's door and do some exploring. Borja has a seriously excellent butt.Using the same actor to play the older brother and then later the younger brother now older, was a mistake. Distracting. Maybe there was some heavy statement being made with that move, but I don't care. It was contrived.Why were guys cruising and having sex openly in a public park lit up like a football field?Would have been much more interesting to portray the older Borja as having chosen a wiser, healthier path than his older brother's fucked-up closeted approach which clearly did not work very well.This is one of those gay flicks that portray the "gay lifestyle" as one of anonymous, dangerous, depressing, emotion-free 24/7 sex, to which all gay men are drawn even when they don't want to be...or something.Not recommended. I gave what would have been a one-star rating an extra star for young Borja's butt. :D
J**C
2/3rd's great and 1/3rd very BAD!
Maybe I should have rated this as 2 stars. So another tragic story of gay life. My question is are most gay lives tragic? If film is an art then isn't art supposed to be a reflection of life? Though it develops slowly, the first 2/3rds of the movie develops the three main characters with an intriguing sense of what may come next. And it does deliver. Borja's character of a loner-homo who is mother bound though she is abusive is awesome. It's difficult to comment without spoilers so let me say the last 3rd of the movie is completely out of context with the beginning and where it goes is totally unnecessary. If you want to see gay life expressed in a positive light or positive message then beware. Like I said the first part of the movie to me is great. If you like Stephan King movies then you may like the end of this movie... There are 3 themes which are reflective of gay life developed into the first part of the movie and there is no resolution to any of the them. Whether known or not to the producer-directors of this film are reflecting gay life in this movie as tragic with nothing to hold onto, or take home or learn from. The last 3rd is just sensationalism to me.
M**O
awesome!
this is a great movie with a sad ending
S**N
Meh
I was on board with everything until the mother took the knife. It just was downhill from there. The ending I thought was needless. Yes, the boys are cursed, to be in this movie. I guess the sexy flesh kept me going.
R**E
A Great Film
This is a great film. Its strong suit is symbolism. The state of the swimming pool is symbolic of the mother’s degraded life. The traditional Christmas drink of the title is symbolic of past happy times. The cruising by one of the sons is symbolic of the desire for a different way of living and the inherent dangers in offering yourself too readily to others. The invasion of his brother’s bedroom by the younger brother is, whilst being beautifully sensuous, symbolic of his desire for his brother and a deeper longing for his own independence and self-fulfilment. The nightmare is symbolic of all men’s fear of emasculation. The ending is so unlikely that it too should be read as another dream and symbolic of the ending of the over-shadowing of the younger brother’s life by his mother, brother and the past – the death of their influence upon him.The conclusion is heart-warming because the young man has a partner and is moving on to another country, another career, another life.
F**N
DVD difícil de encontrar en tiendas habituales.
Muy buena película.
C**V
la sua vedibilita'
il dvd e' visibile perfettamente e l'audio ottimo
S**K
Good but a bit different
This is a little bit of a slow buner to start with, but it sets the scene and the mood, so you won't be getting bored. I'm sure sure what it's aim or prmise is in regards to what it wants to get across. Of course it has it's voyeur moments, which seem okay. Without spoiling what happens though I'm not sure what the director wanted to get across by the end of the film. I get the fam ily secret thing which you discover, but what I don't get is why it ends the way it ends. Does the director want to portray some kind of warning etc? It should have had a totally different ending, I think the director and the writer missed a far better ending, even if they wanted a bleak or a a washed out ending, a different ending would have made it a better film.
S**G
Was delivered on time
Strange movie , really wasn't sure what I'd watched
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