Mil nubes de paz cercan el cielo, amor, jamás acabarás de ser amor (2003)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Julián Hernández

Writer:

Julián Hernández (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Gerardo, a 17-year old guy has just finished his relationship with Bruno and starts wandering hopeless through the streets of the city...

Plot Keywords:

Unrequited Love | Mexico City | Gay Kiss | Gay Interest | Male Frontal Nudity

Awards:

5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Salvador Alvarez	...	Susana
Gloria Andrade	...	Girl
Llane Fragoso	...	Mirella
Martha Gómez	...	Martha
Rosa María Gómez	...	Mary
Manuel Grapain Zaquelarez	...	Jorge
Marcos Hernández	...	Boy
Salvador Hernández	...	Antonio
Perla De La Rosa	...	Anna
Miguel Loaiza	...	Adrián
Pablo Molina	...	Andrés
Mario Oliver	...	Umberto
Juan Carlos Ortuño	...	Gerardo
Clarissa Rendón	...	Nadia (as Clarisa Rendón)
Pilar Ruíz	...	Lola
Martin Solís	...	Boy
Juan Carlos Torres	...	Bruno

Also Known As:

A Thousand Clouds of Peace (USA) (festival title)
A Thousand Clouds of Peace Fence the Sky, Love; Your Being Love Will Never End (International: English title)
A Thousand Peace Clouds Encircle the Sky (USA)
Mil nubes de paz (Mexico) (short title)

Runtime:

Germany:80 min | USA:83 min (DVD)

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Mexico:B15 | USA:Unrated

Company:

Nubes Cine

The Anguish of Lost Love

'Mil nubes de paz cercan el cielo, amor, jamas acabaras de ser amor', the Spanish title (extracted from a poem by Pasolini) of this little film from Mexico, is translated for the English language audience as 'A Thousand Clouds of Peace'. Writer/director Julian Hernandez seems to emulate Pasolini's films but has yet to reach the subtle artistry of the Italian master's genre. The film is shot in black and white, uses very little dialogue, and stresses the use of the camera (often at odds with the flow of the storyline) in presenting what appears to be a reflection on the pain of losing love.

Gerardo (Juan Carlos Ortuno) is a 17-year old lad who has apparently just been jilted by his lover Bruno (Juan Carlos Torres) who ended the only affair of Gerardo's life with a letter that plunges Gerardo into despair. Gerardo walks the streets of Mexico City, looking for signs of his lost love, pining away on a bridge, pausing to find the soundtrack recording of an old shared film, attempting unsuccessfully to kindle romance with the occasional hustler and at times meeting with physical abuse. When he is not wandering in his sadness he stays in his room yearning for what is lost and confining his needs to his solo physical dreams. He encounters old friends, both male and female, but there is no real antidote for the loss he is experiencing. And like so many tragic love stories, this one has no happy ending.

Hernandez gives evidence of a potentially potent filmmaker: certainly his subject matter and his frankness of showing frontal nudity and some frankness of contact demonstrate that he is a brave writer and director. Juan Carlos Ortuna is an inexperienced actor, but with Hernandez' guidance he manages to make us feel his plight, trust his genuine grief, and in general make us hope he finds resolution. And to accomplish that with almost no dialogue, relying only on facial and physical shots, shows promise. In Spanish with English subtitles. Grady Harp