This was an excellent movie that showed that society is changing, but there is still a long way to go. For example, there is a scene when the class finds out that the two boys are gay and about two-thirds cheer to support them when they enter the room while the other third are drawing horrible cartoons of them in their notebooks. There are many other scenes that show the irony, such as when the kids go to the gay bar to support their friend and the straight bullies are there drinking. Furthermore, bullying, obesity, and privilege are also dealt with in the storyline.
The love story between the boys who have been friends since very young is beautiful, and it is heartbreaking at the end when one of them is forced to betray the other. The acting is overall very good for teenage actors, and it is great to see Cecilia Suárez in a role very different than in "La casa de flores."
Other reviews question why there can't be a gay movie with a happy ending, but there are literally hundreds on Amazon Prime and Netflix. Another review implies that people are sick of "more of the same." To me, this is like when white people say they are tired of hearing about racism (especially since the U.S. had a black president). Tired of hearing about it? Imagine how tiring it must be having to live with regularly being on the receiving end of oppression! The same applies to homophobia. The fact that many countries have legalized gay marriage does not imply that all hardships are gone for LGBTQ+ individuals. Teenage suicide is still a major problem, and movies like Mariposas Verdes and "Thirteen Reasons Why" remind us that we all can contribute to the problem or be part of the solution, even if in a small way. As the movie reminds us at the end, it was only in 2015 that Colombia passed laws to protect sexual orientation and identity in schools. This issue is far from settled in the minds of many.
The love story between the boys who have been friends since very young is beautiful, and it is heartbreaking at the end when one of them is forced to betray the other. The acting is overall very good for teenage actors, and it is great to see Cecilia Suárez in a role very different than in "La casa de flores."
Other reviews question why there can't be a gay movie with a happy ending, but there are literally hundreds on Amazon Prime and Netflix. Another review implies that people are sick of "more of the same." To me, this is like when white people say they are tired of hearing about racism (especially since the U.S. had a black president). Tired of hearing about it? Imagine how tiring it must be having to live with regularly being on the receiving end of oppression! The same applies to homophobia. The fact that many countries have legalized gay marriage does not imply that all hardships are gone for LGBTQ+ individuals. Teenage suicide is still a major problem, and movies like Mariposas Verdes and "Thirteen Reasons Why" remind us that we all can contribute to the problem or be part of the solution, even if in a small way. As the movie reminds us at the end, it was only in 2015 that Colombia passed laws to protect sexual orientation and identity in schools. This issue is far from settled in the minds of many.