Raw Love (2008)

Wow! Such a good movie.

Such a frustrating disappointment

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

a sensitive story. about friendship. about an age. about a form of wake up. honest, touching, delicate, seductive, cruel in a way. but, more important, simple. because its basic virtue is to remind. old memories, old events known by others, dreams, the taste and the flavor of a special age, the small gestures of incertitude/ fear to be not understand by the other. its beauty is admirable. because it explores a way to become yourself. the fight between jokes and meets with colleagues and the unique states of friendship and words, touches, games. and the science of director to use the right tone is the key for this delightful, minimalist film about feelings, desire and the last moment when the truth remains under the veil of silence.

"Amor crudo" or "Raw Love" is an Argentinian Spanish-language short film from 2008, so it's almost 10 years old. It runs for 14.5 minutes and was written and directed by Juan Chappa and Martín Deus. For these two, it is still their most known work today and same can be said about pretty much all the cast members. It is a gay-themed movie. These often have problems with realism and this is also true here unfortunately. Nonetheless, it still works on some occasions too and I have seen many way worse films from this genre. Overall, it is not good enough for me so that I would recommend it, but lets say South Americans maker better gay-themed films than most other continents. Don't mistake my review however. This was not a good film, not a good achievement and I give it a thumbs-down overall. Not a failure, not an artistic achievement either. Thumbs down from me.

a film about teenagers. in a subtle manner. fragility, joy, self - introspection. delicate frame of desire. summer. gestures and words. hidden questions, impossible answers. it is a beautiful movie. and, in essence, necessary for viewer. for scenes and for deep honesty. for art to remember old crumbs of life. for the precise measure. for its end. far to be a gay movie, it is only instrument to discover emotions of an age. exercise to define friendship. and to define yourself. so, it is really good. a kind of window to past. image of steps to image about yourself. trip in dark corners of teenagers. and start line for real life.

The journey, any journey, has always been an interesting starting point for stories. Literary critic Todorov points out that the journey, especially the journey of a young man, is a paramount paradigm in classic literature."Amor Crudo" obeys Todorov's principle. It entails the journey of a boy that has not yet occurred but that somehow stirs his life and the life of his best friend. In this short film directors Chappa and Deus prove that time lengths should never be a constraint but rather a challenge; a challenge they overcome by creating, in only a few minutes, a rich and appealing narrative universe that conveys deep and true emotions.Jeremias and Ivan are good friends, but there is an impasse between them produced by Ivan's confusing feelings. Is he in love with his best friend? Is it just a crush? Or a mere masturbatory fantasy? Does he care for him only as a friend? And how can one define friendship after all? In the end, it doesn't matter if the impasse is resolved or not, just as it doesn't matter if one finds the answer to these questions. All that matters is for these questions to be asked.Different authors such as Plato or Seneca would probably agree on one thing. Friendship is the most pure human relationship as it does not seek benefits or rewards. In that sense, friendship could be the ideal love, and that is the feeling Chappa and Deus are able to transmit to the viewers in this story about journeys and very heartfelt goodbyes.Touching, intense and honest, "Amor Crudo" is a very thorough exploration of teenage awkwardness, innocence and true friendship.