My Best Friend (2018) User Reviews

Sometimes it doesn't take words to speak volumes

[brenswee · 8/10 · 22 June 2019]

The two young main actors are really fantastic. They have a great chemistry on screen and they say a lot to each other with a look.

It's not very often that I think a movie is too short but this is one. I was hoping the last few minutes would stretch. This is a quiet movie with a lot of heart - a little gem.

If your heart isn't breaking a little while the song "Tal Vez" plays, you *may* be made of stone.

Lgbt?

[fedrickmassar23 · 8/10 · 25 November 2018]

It's less of a gay themed movie but more so of a special bond between these two as their friendship begins to develop on screen. Beautiful nonetheless.

A very gentle and warm film

[djrt · 7/10 · 2 July 2019]

Very much enjoyed this tale of a family who have relocated to give themselves space to grow as a family giving their kids a good start. The eldest is a reserved young man beginning to question his sexuality and going through a degree of making tentative steps in the same direction as his peers adding only to his questions. Enter the mix a childhood friend, the son of his father's friend who has reached out to him to take his son in to weather a bit of a storm at home. The new addition is much looser & willing to stretch rules, boundaries etc whilst still at heart a youngster with his own challenges too. What follows is a learning curve for both about trusting, sharing, loosening up and treading softly on the feelings of others including considering others at all. The older lad is kissed on the cheek by the younger having gotten a little high on a cannabis spliff. The older lad does not judge the situation & doesn't make a big deal of it. What changes is the warmth between them & to a degree the caring they have for each other. If you've seen North Sea Texas this film has much the same warmth between the two young leads but here there is no suggestion of a sexual relationship. What does come through is the parents have considered the closeness of the two & the apparent lack of any desire to get a girlfriend in their son. The mother makes it clear, they have no issues if feelings have developed and their son makes clear this isn't something he can define let alone discuss at this stage. The older lad hears news from back home and feels he must leave & despite the younger lad asking him to stay and face things out with his family's help, he slips away. The film isn't at all melancholy, everyone is learning and negotiating life with our young lad whilst sad at his loss of a closer male friendship than he'd hitherto experienced he does go forward safe in the knowledge he's loved and his judgement is respected in his home and family. I'm betting parents could gain some insights on letting go a little and trusting (with boundaries) the feelings, views and judgement of teenagers. It's definitely worth watching, and I'll happily view it again. Gently, warm hearted, realistic with a slight echo in places of "Beautiful Thing" 👍

An unusual friendship in Patagonia

[FrenchEddieFelson · 6/10 · 3 April 2019]

A subtle film which tales a friendship story between 2 teenagers that everything seems to oppose. Lorenzo is benevolent, empathetic and sometimes impetuous. He lives within a strict although serene and convivial environment. In short, a fairly quiet life in Patagonia. In contrast, Caito is calm, shy, not prolific in words and unpredictable. Indeed, he learned to live alone, without being accountable to anyone. A life significantly more difficult within a drug-and-prison environment.

Although they are fundamentally different, they will learn to understand, help and appreciate each other. The beginning of a deep friendship filmed with subtlety.

Even if the movie takes place in Patagonia, it's not a remake of Brokeback Mountain. The landscapes are perhaps similar but, in my humble opinion, the analogy stops right there.

A Bit Too Scripted Good vs. Bad

[westsideschl · 7/10 · 25 April 2019]

Strange font issues in subtitling for some words. Not seen in any film before, foreign or domestic, and should have been corrected. Liked the intelligence, maturity & openness of Lorenzo and family although not very realistic unless Argentinians are better at maturity & raising families than most everyone else. A bit too stereotypically good encounters bad, and a little too made-up & unrealistic in how it all unfolds, but I suppose the point was to show how good can change bad behavior. Well, maybe. If you liked this movie try "My Brilliant Friend".

Subtle movie about the friendship of two young men

[Red-125 · 9/10 · 15 October 2018]

Mi mejor amigo (2018) is an Argentinian movie shown in the United States with the translated title My Best Friend. The film was written and directed by Martín Deus.

The movie stars Angelo Mutti Spinetta as Lorenzo, a shy, quiet young man who is chosen last for sports, but who is a classical guitarist and an avid reader.

His life is changed by the arrival of Caito, portrayed by Lautaro Rodríguez. Caito is tough, muscular, and well versed in life on the street. He's the exact opposite of Lorenzo, but they still become friends.

Caito has been sent from his father's home in Buenos Aires to stay with Lorenzo's parents. He's had serious troubles, brought on by his impulsive behavior. He pushes limits every chance he can, and those chances often involve Lorenzo.

Both actors are excellent. Director Deus deserves credit for knowing how to bring their talent to the screen.

The film is subtle in the way it portrays the bonding of the young men. Actually, the entire movie has a subtlety about it. No one is a villain, no one sets impossible standards, and no violence occurs. It's a gentle film, but there's always a sense of foreboding about it. You'll have to watch it to learn what motivates Lorenzo, Caito, and Lorenzo's parents.

We saw this film at Rochester's Little Theatre. It was shown at ImageOut, the excellent Rochester LGBT Festival. This was its New York State premiere. It will work well on the small screen. Right now this movie has an IMDb rating of 8.4, which is remarkably high. However, less than 100 people have rated it, so that number could change. That high rating reflects my own thoughts about the film. I hope the rating remains high, so more people will want to see it. It's worth finding and viewing. It will work well on the small screen.

P.S. Watch for Mariana Anghileri in the unheralded supporting role of Lorenzo's mother. She's a great actor as well as being very beautiful.

A lukewarm movie

[amamoky · 6/10 · 4 April 2019]

Set up in Patagonia, the story first introduce us to Lorenzo - a shy, soft-spoken boy, that follow the rules and likes to read and football - who lives with his family, mother, father and a younger brother. One morning, his father Andrés, informs them that an old friend of his has asked him to take care of his son for sometime, Caito, which his wife, Camila, reluctantly agrees on.

Caito arrives to the family and is first received by Lorenzo, they talked and wait for the rest of them. From there on, the movie goes to really standard coming-of-age queer movie probes, Caito is a revel, with drug problems and poor set up boundaries, the total opposite of Lorenzo, but yet they become "best friends", sharing their time and deepest secrets.

In general, the movie is so by-the-book it ends up being boring. Their homosexuality is barely hinted on both cases in different scenes, but never really fully fleshed in the interactions of both main characters. The ending is so default that it's not really a spoiler to say it.

The acting is good except for the guy that plays Caito. His long stares and lack of emotion is really distracting. Also, I don't know how old the actors are, but they're supposed to be one year apart from one another but they look at least four.

All the technical aspects are good, good cinematography, sound, etc. It's the story that needed to be more fleshed out.

Yes, this is an LGBT film.

[jdsnyc1421 · 9/10 · 23 November 2019]

Though not your stereotypical feel-good, happy-ending, first-love LGBT film, this film definitely shows a situation, I believe, more common of homosexual coming of age. The angst and frustration of unrequited first love towards an often times unsuspecting, hetersexual youth.

Adolescence is strange and difficult enough without the extra measure of finding attraction in something not socially understood or accepted.

While fraternal love is beautiful in itself, it is made to feel tainted by the added homosexual impulses felt by the lead character causing him to question his integrity.

This main male character. who is gay. is dealing with the dilemma of having not just 'normal' feeling for another male who is heterosexual, but 'un-normal' feelings for his friend as well.

Though his intentions and empathy for his friend are pure, he feels clouded by his other emotions and is left to grapple with the confusion of his competing motivations for closeness to his friend.

I found this film very nuanced, and intelligent. Not just another cookie-cutter coming of age inspirational LGBT story.

I hope future films will stop duplicating the tried-and-tested, cookie-cutter LGBT films, and continue to stray from the now stereotyped image being portrayed of LGBT existence. Just as with all other experiences, the LGBT experience is extremely varied, and needs to be expressed as so.

This film is an example of the newly recognized, complicated feelings and emotions during adolescence. While unrequited love in our young age is not unique to LGBT youth, it takes on added layers, and is quite worthy of being reflected upon and untangled on the screen.

Good movie, but not lgtb based

[bkirkcaldy · 7/10 · 5 June 2020]

Less of a coming of age homosexual movie, rather a movie about friends, where one is figuring out his sexuality. Sad ending, the relationship doesnt even happen on a homosexual level.

Misses the mark for me

[dragonxattack · 5/10 · 31 July 2021]

Even allowing for the considerable loss in translation for subtitles this movie though nicely filmed feels pedestrian, disjointed and the characters seem poorly defined with little or no backstory. Nice try but for me, misses the mark by a mile when compared with jewels such as "Juste un question d'amour'

Sweet and subtle

[u-emoli · 10/10 · 11 October 2019]

Lovely and gentle little film. It is not the stereotypical gay movie as it is only capturing the first unrequited love most of us have experienced in our early life. The leading boy actor is excellent.

Much more please

[nlaurentiu · 6/10 · 4 October 2021]

I was actually expecting something more. The film lists different social situations but does not intend to delve into them too much. The situation between Caito and Lorenzo is not exactly as described and they do not end up tying too much into each other, just simple friendship. The film stretches a lot on a family background and responsibility, but its essence in the end lies only in feelings and depression.

A Pointless movie

[qui_j · 2/10 · 22 April 2020]

This is the kind of movie where you keep waiting for something to happen but instead it just plods on mercilessly to an end that makes no sense. A total and complete waste of time!

A minimalist gem

[robtyrrell-98607 · 10/10 · 25 April 2020]

If you enjoyed "Moonlight", you'll enjoy this. Another quiet gem of a movie that doesn't require constant talking to get its point across.

The actors, especially the boy who plays Lorenzo, are terrific at communicating non-verbal. It's not a complicated story, but more an emotional exploration of the characters' relationships and how they develop. Be prepared to not get the ending you may be wishing for...but that only adds to the movie's more realistic interpretation of how life doesn't always turn out the way we expect.

I'd rather watch a well-done character study like this than another stupid explosion-filled Hollywood flick any day.

Awesome

[sexybodymtl · 10/10 · 17 December 2019]

What a great movie about true love No judgment. No hate. No possession Just be Give a chance Being opened It is so nice to see what other countries than USA can do great movie without budget and violence. Congrats to Argentinians

Patagonian prudence

[dflynch215 · 8/10 · 20 January 2020]

I happened to run across this film on cable and was impressed with its subtle approach to a familiar situation. How many films are shot in the bucolic Argentinian Patagonia? A troubled young man is sent to live with a charming family that includes teenage son Lorenzo. It isn't long before tensions begin to surface. Angelo Mutti Spinatta has the complex role of Lorenzo and his performance is remarkable.

Choices

[jromanbaker · 8/10 · 5 October 2020]

There is a bit of conflict about whether this is an LGBT film. I think that is a waste of time. The film is simply that two adolescent youths have an ' attraction ' towards each other and the director has decided that the scenario should steer clear of a too obvious sexual contact. I often wonder while watching a film what happens between scenes and it is quite possible that some sort of experimentation takes place and is not shown. Mutual masturbation is the obvious act that comes to mind and at that age it does not necessarily mean ' Gay '. That is my opinion and directors and writers make choices at what to show. To put a label on the youths is useless as this is fiction and dear reviewers create your own in between acts between cuts or blackouts in cinema narratives. Hollywood ' hinted ' for years in films. And in this film there are a few hints, especially when the two look in silence at each other and the way one stares at the buffed half-naked body of the other. Imagine sex if you want to; if not do not and if it is a not then it is not an LGBT film but ' simple ' close friendship. Personally I felt it was full of romance and silent longing. The two main actors were very good in their roles and the film, beautifully made is clearly aimed at those who are not quite sure of their sexual orientation. The slightly repressed atmosphere of the Argentinian background slightly closed in on me, and the Bible is made prominent in the scenario and God, which is not exactly inducive to relaxed emotions between two young male teenagers. This should be shown in schools so as to let the age group it is there for be able to discuss and decide. As for adults make up your own minds but steer clear of being too definitive about it. A tender and fine film not to be missed.

Men can love each other without being gay

[Orpheus_Dude · 10/10 · 11 December 2018]

This is a beautiful and moving film with superb performances throughout. By now you've read the plot in another review, so no surprises here.

But I am quite puzzled as to how and why it is being marketed - and winning awards - as an LGBTQ film.

It ain't.

Men can love each other without it being sexual.

I'll try to keep this brief, but I am bisexual with far more experience with men (and one very long-term relationship with a woman). My best friend of more than 10 years is 100% heterosexual, and he was the first to say, "I love you, man." He is like the younger brother I never had, and in some instances the father I never had (he died when I was five-years-old). We plan at least one big trip a year, and just to give an example, we rented an apartment in Italy for a month and although the bedroom had a single bed and a double bed, my friend insisted that we sleep together (we also sleep together when we visit each other for our weekend movie-and-cocktail marathons). We are physically affectionate with each other, even in public. He has a solid relationship with a woman and doesn't care how the world sees us, and will sometimes just casually put his arm around my shoulder.

There has never been the slightest hint of anything sexual between us, not even when the classic "boy was I drunk last night" scenario could have been used as an excuse.

We just have more things in common than we do with anyone else (we are slowly visiting the 50 highest rated cocktail bars in the world), and our time together is always special. A couple of years ago I needed an operation to remove a tumor. I was OK about it until the night before, when I started to freak out. My friend was soon at my apartment and he held me while we talked and I cried. And he got me to the hospital the next morning (and the tumor turned out to be benign).

So we have a deep love - we even kiss on the lips (but not French kiss), but there is nothing gay about it. For sex, we both have our alternatives.

The relationship in the film is hinted at being gay because Lorenzo plays classical guitar (and ONLY classical), reads a lot of very serious stuff, and is not remotely into sports. This is blatant stereotyping. Why has no one mentioned that he has sex with a girl, and quite successfully it seems: she is ready with a condom, there is a nice post-coital good night kiss, and she phones him as soon as he gets home. And there is nothing gay about Caíto. He is simply a very screwed-up young man who desperately needs friendship and someone who understand him and finds it with Lorenzo. I believe it is Caíto who first says, "I love you man." They hug a few times, but I got no sexual vibes from their shows of affection.

I need to shut up. I just wanted to stress that it's NOT a LGBTQ film (and no nudity except for a few seconds filmed in a locker room where you see a few behinds in the background as the guys are drying off), but rather a story of two young men finding much-needed companionship and not afraid to express their true feelings to each other.

It's a gorgeous, bittersweet tale. Go see it!

WHAT A MOVIE

[victorantonio-26390 · 9/10 · 7 September 2019]

I've just finished watching it and DAMM, I don't even know what to say

lovely story

[gwrightg-73761 · 9/10 · 23 November 2020]

These two kids were exactly what each needed as a companion at that stage of their lives. Wonderful movie.

Strong, involving, endearing

[johannes2000-1 · 9/10 · 27 January 2022]

Yet another strong and sensitive gay-themed movies from South America! Here not a coming-out story, no gay bashing or a struggle with strict parents, in fact the being gay is even hardly made an issue. Director Martín Deus only hints at main character Lorenzo being (possibly) gay, through a few very subtle scenes, but that is exactly enough to put Lorenzo's relation with Caíto into perspective.

The director carefully avoids the usual clichés. Although the boys sleep in the same bedroom, share a hiking tent or go for swims, there is no physical contact whatsoever. The only way in which both boys gradually overcome the big gap between their characters and background, is by talking and by showing each other loyalty and mutual understanding. The shy little kiss that Lorenzo at one point gives Caíto in this way gets all the more meaning. Does Caíto realize that Lorenzo is in love with him? Does he feel in any way something similar? The movie ends without answers, we have to guess for ourselves.

This is a "small" movie in every aspect: a small cast, few settings, a down to earth script without complicated twists or turns. But within these limits it is extremely involving and moving. Apart from the intelligent direction, this is especially thanks to the amazing way in which young Angelo Mutti Spinet plays his demanding and multi-layered part. He is totally convincing as the precocious, serious teen who yearns for something he cannot even imagine and at several moments he actually moved me to tears.

The loss of an nonreciprocal first love.

[taz4535 · 8/10 · 13 September 2020]

A beautiful movie where it does not use scenes of flirtatious behaviour or unbelievably good looking actors to portray (some may argue) a love storey.

Lorenzo's emotions are matched very well for the scenes and effortlessly shows the turmoil Caito behaviour has, which only seems to magnify the attraction.

A simple love storey driven by the younger of the two, where it captures an idealistic ending of that loss of an nonreciprocal first love.

Beautiful film.

[anthonyaustralia · 10/10 · 17 July 2021]

Beautiful film. Extremely talented young actors. Set in stunning, postcard perfect Patagonia.

Lorenzo is an intelligent teenager living small town life in Patagonia. He has a very loving, close knit family with quite a regimented daily routine. Lorenzo feels different to other guys, thus leading him to feel lonely. He spends most of his spare time at home, reading.

The arrival of Caito from Buenos Aires is a big shake up to Lorenzo's lonely and regimented daily life. Lorenzo quickly notices Caito has problems and wants to help him. Whilst the pair seem to have nothing in common, they provide eachother much needed company and emmotional support.

Something that really touched me is when Caito realises Lorenzo may be gay and attempts to get him to talk about it. Caito appreciated the emmotional support from Lorenzo so much that he genuinely wanted to help Lorenzo with his own issues.

Very beautiful film, available to watch for free in Australia on SBS on Demand.

Strong and weak at the same time

[studioginger · 9/10 · 30 December 2020]

I would like to say that the best title for this movie, would be My first love, or otherwise, when your heart tells you something, in other ways this movie is full of genuinely and heart feelings emotions. Don't forget what it meant for you a touch when you were just a teenager. Said so, please watch it with the right angle and with the right heart!

Sweetness and lightness make this film a delicacy to taste...

[RosanaBotafogo · 8/10 · 7 March 2021]

Cute, light, I thought the dramatic load would be very heavy, as it usually is when it comes to discovering LGTB + by a teenager, however the whole cute and receptive family made it simpler, and the conversation between mother and son was the most tense, and most enjoyable of if you watch, the pain at the end too, as it hurts an unlived, unrequited love, sweetness and lightness make this film a delicacy to taste...