Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2022 Movie Review Trailer

As someone who grew up in Texas in the late 1980s, when “Aristotle and Dante Uncover the Secrets of the Universe” is set, I can assure you: the last thing a closeted southern teen wants is to stand out. That must make it a special kind of torture to be named after thinkers your peers probably won't read until college. On the other hand, it's also a wonderful bonding opportunity for two guys who don't fit in until they meet, although it will take a bit of time to untangle what they both want in a movie that they sorely wish had been around decades ago. earlier.

Now is as good a time as any for the world to discover Aristotle and Dante, not the Greek philosopher and author of the "Divine Comedy," but the main characters in Benjamin Alire Sáenz's beloved YA novel. Imagine "Brokeback Mountain" through Judy Blume. Set in El Paso, the book poses a question a quarter of a century before its 1987 setting, but perfect for ours: Should best friends become boyfriends? In Sáenz's two novels, “Aristotle and Dante,” the self-questioning teens found a frank and age-appropriate parable featuring two Mexican-American boys who literally adore each other. But only Dante identifies as gay, so what do they do?

Director: Aitch Alberto
Writers: Aitch Alberto, Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Stars: Luna Blaise, Kevin Alejandro, Eva Longoria

That's just one of the many refreshingly mature real-world themes that writer-director Aitch Alberto responded to in adapting "Aristotle & Dante" for the big screen, and he's done an impressive job of bringing the complexity of the film's themes to life. novel to film even if the ambitious director seems to overcrowd at times. Taking big risks in his first feature film, Alberto chose a story in which underage children buy beer, smoke marijuana and face serious anger management problems, where one character is attacked by homosexuals and another becomes so violent that he even hits someone to death, and she insisted on keeping those elements in her script.

Like many indie productions, this one feels rough around the edges, with parts that drag (like the stretch Dante passes in Chicago) and others that demand the benefit of the doubt (like casting comic star Eugenio Derbez as a closed-off father). ). with a severe case of PTSD). But it also has such magical moments that seem destined to mark a generation of viewers who are lucky enough to have such a movie. They deserve a cutesy, endearing romantic symbol like two Converse sneakers, one white and one red, dangling from a low-hanging electrical cord, the same way cishets caused John Cusack to shoot Peter Gabriel from his stereo.

The most difficult challenge for Alberto was finding two young actors who could do the characters justice: guys who don't identify with the horny ones in the dressing room, bragging about their fantasies and conquests. Ari had to be both tough and vulnerable, at the same time stoic and charismatic enough for the audience to fall in love with him. Dante should be a free spirit, talking a mile a minute and walking barefoot down the street, someone destined to thrive decades after school bullies have reached their peak.

Alberto bets on two unknowns and it works. In Pelayo's case, audiences can feel the effort the young actor is putting into his portrayal, a weakness that ultimately benefits the role, since Ari is supposed to be trapped in his own head. Meanwhile, playing an English-speaking boy with questions about his Latino heritage, Gonzales is Dante, utterly convincing as someone who is both vulnerable and uninhibited, able to ask his friend about masturbation without tipping the film into uninhibited territory. obscene comedy. His dynamic hinges on a complicated type of chemistry, where the audience instantly understands why they would be friends, but isn't sure if they should take it to the next level.

Does it really matter how closely Alberto sticks to the source material? The truth is that I would never have discovered Sáenz's book had it not been for Alberto's adaptation, which I have already seen three times. It's not that the movie is so good that you can't get enough of it. What's more, he couldn't reconcile how this story that seemed so original and necessary, so full of ideas that no director had put on screen before, could end up feeling like Nickelodeon's confident version of itself.

Watch Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2022 Trailer