Noah

*“I can read your heart.” * I… am still thinking about this. I’m kind of enamored by the discreet quality of how it is literally so hard to access. This film is uncomfortable to watch. It’s weird and unpleasant yet, somehow, A Lan still defends his identity and his community while being berated and harassed. Despite enjoying the situation to an extent, he draws the line at being called degenerate.  Sadomasochism only being explored in traumatic experiences is hard for me to feel out since consent is at the core of BDSM, whether it stems from trauma or not. A Lan doesn’t experience a single moment of clearly consensual sex and that makes me hesitant to really consider this a film about a masochist. On the flip side of this, A Lan is at risk of being charged and jailed as a criminal due to being a gay man — his *existence *seems masochistic to the straight men around him who don’t understand that homosexuality isn’t a choice you make when you become old enough to have sex. I definitely have complex thoughts about sex and sadomasochism in this film.  I saw a review of this movie that called it “excruciatingly boring, [and] dull.” I think that’s very amusing. *East Palace, West Palace *can be confusing and some moments lull on as you sit in discomfort, but it’s purposeful.  I’ll cap this here so I don’t ramble but I may come back for more… lol

“*A toast to forgiveness!”* Hmmm. I have feelings about this movie. Following three young people who are horny as all hell is not a setup that appeals to me, and Tenoch and Julio are so dislikable that it’s almost hard to enjoy watching them at all. *Almost*. As the threes trip progressed I really enjoyed the dynamic that unfolded, though. I think this movie was very visually appealing, too. I appreciate its clear and explicit love for Mexico despite the complex politics that set the background for this film. I love the juxtaposition between the boys and the narrator — someone who is serious and rather unemotional describing death, nationalism, globalism, and other topics of concern — versus two unserious, drunk, high, and horny men who don’t give much care to anything other than their own pleasure.  I think the narration is really interesting and definitely thought something was wrong with the TV the first few times it happened, lol. But I like how much it pulls you out of the moment. I enjoy being told everyone’s future.  I can’t believe I had some amount of hope after the fake happy ending. Finding Heaven’s Mouth and lazing around on a beach, forgiving one another, having sex… only for the three instantly separate upon their return to the city (or, in Luisa’s case, choice to stay on the beaches). It made me really sad. Even though all of these people have made mistakes I hoped they could be friendly again.

I’m kind of left speechless after this one but I appreciate the queer community shown here. It’s messy — people disagree, fight, throw each other under the bus — yet they’re always there for one another. Our community is unbreakable even in the toughest of times, and we must look after one another. Queer joy in the face of an ultimate hardship is also so evident in this movie, it’s saddening but also beautiful. Seeing people dance and cheer and love while dying is… heartbreaking.

I need some time to collect my thoughts about this, but I love seeing a devout artist and their muse.