The Last Match (2013)

So much average

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

There is no question this film is a brilliant achievement, yet it posed some large issues for me. First, it was filmed in Cuba and that really was a shock because of the U.S. boycott on all things Cuban which has existed for decades and which I have never really understood. Let's not forget that President Kennedy was killed specifically because of U.S Cuban policy which at the time was to assassinate Castro and destroy communism in Cuba. How we can justify the complex relationship we have with Communist China and still boycott Communist Cuba is a conundrum to say the least. The other issue for me with this film was the fact that I was under the distinct impression that tragic gay love stories were passé and something that was better left to a previous era. This tragic gay love story for all its modern aspects still smacks of something from a lost age and that did dilute the impact of the story for me. However, there is no denying that on many levels this film is brilliant and should be part of any serious film collection on this genre.

A tragic love story between two soccer mates Reinier and Yosvani amidst the neighborhood slums of Havana and prostitution. What makes me love the movie is that you get to root for these seemingly real characters until the very end. We see Reinier's hand-to-mouth existence to survive for his wife and child. We see Yosvani's dependency on his girlfriend and her shark father. We see the male prostitution in the streets and how Reinier's family approves of this work to live. And then we see how the love blossom between two macho individuals living in poverty and ask themselves in the process where would this lead to. Although both are dreamy characters, Reinier is more practical in views on love and money.It is not a feel-good film but will certainly have an impact on you after watching the film.Natural acting from the main leads who are both good-looking. Fast-paced and never boring. Good slum photography.A film worth watching.

I did tick the 'spoilers' box, but it doesn't seem to be showing, so: Spoilers apply!I don't know what the legal status of homosexuality is in Cuba, but 'La Partida' is set in Havana and tells the tale of Reinier, a young father who pays for his taste in new clothes by turning tricks on the seafront at night. By day he plays football on some waste ground with a bunch of mates. One of those mates is Yosvani, who makes his living by working in the import business run by his fiancée's thuggish father. A drunken kiss from Reinier one night confuses Yosvani - he's repelled by the excesses of the seafront rent boys, but is unable to resist starting an affair with Reinier.The friend who watched this film with me pointed out that gay dramas often end with one of the protagonists dying - and so it is here, with one of our boys not alive as the end credits roll. For many film-makers, it seems, the only way for a gay romance to end is fatally! But apart from that this is an engrossing film: not so much for the romance, which follows predictable film lines, but because of the fact it is set in Cuba: how accurate is its portrayal of poverty there I am not qualified to judge, but given the self-imposed Castro regime isn't brave enough to allow free and fair elections I suspect it's fairly accurate. As for the acting, the two young leads do not disgrace themselves: Milton García as Yosvani is especially good in portraying the journey from macho tough guy to bewildered dumped lover. So this is definitely worth watching, at least once.

It seems like every other day or so there are news reports of the latest state to honor marriage equality, either through the legislative process or through a court rejection of discrimination. The tide has turned quickly in this country on the issue of gay civil rights, and it's obvious to all but the most closed of minds that's in no longer a question of "if" but "how soon" before the gay community is seen as just another fully acknowledged component of our magnificent multicultural society.In other countries - not so much. Putin's anti-gay crusade in Russia and his counterpart in Uganda demonstrate that simply being gay is still a dangerous proposition in many parts of our world. This global struggle, reduced to the microcosm of two young men in Cuba, is at the heart of "The Last Match" (La Partida), director Antonio Hens' latest examination of the lives of gay youth.Reinier (Reinier Diaz) and Yosvani (Milton Garcia) are two young men surviving in the barrios of Havana. Reinier, who is married and has a child, supports his family (with the explicit approval of his mother-in-law) by prostituting himself to wealthy male tourists. Yosvani, engaged to the daughter of a black marketer, is living off the largesse of his soon-to-be father-in-law (Luis Alberto Garcia). The two come together on the local soccer field and become fast friends. After a night of partying at a local disco, they find themselves sharing a quick kiss. This initial physical interaction leads into a physical relationship that quickly grows into a deep, emotional bond.But life in Cuba is not easy, and being gay in Cuba isn't going to make it any easier. Reinier is more grounded in reality, as harsh as that reality may be. One escape for him may be to go back to Europe with a wealthy tourist (His mother-in-law's preferred action. She wants him to go back to Spain and marry the guy – because it's legal there - then send for her and his family.) Another escape may be via joining a national soccer team.Yosvani wants nothing more than to be with Reinier. He sees money as the solution to their problem. With enough money, they can just leave and go anywhere they want and be together. Rainier's simple, pitiful response – "Where?""Where?" indeed. Both young men act on their desire to escape, culminating in a quietly devastating conclusion that is sure to annoy some. Director Hens may be accused of adding another entry to the long line of "gay lovers are doomed" canon, but an honest examination of the story and the circumstances portrayed should lead one to see that it really couldn't end any other way.As the leads, Diaz and Garcia give affecting performances. While the film has its sexually explicit moments (and there is obviously a level of commitment and comfort required to pull those scenes off) it's in the quieter moments that these young actors really impress. One gets a real sense of the longing and passion these two characters share for each other, and one's heart breaks (as Yosvani's does) as the passion gives way to practicality.With genuine, heartfelt performances by the two leads (and good supporting work from Luis Alberto Garcia as the menacing profiteer), "The Last Match" is a well written and sensitively directed look at love from a different cultural perspective - the love that, sadly, still 'dare not speak its name' in too many languages and in too many places in this modern world.www.worstshowontheweb.com