4 Moons (2014)

Wonderful Movie

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The synopsis is that we have four stories that are told in a linear narrative of four very separate and very different relationships. We have two old friends who had lost contact and get reunited and it is more than friendship that is rekindled. A young boy who falls for his cousin and he knows it is wrong for him to act on his impulses but the attraction is too strong.There is also the story of an ageing and married poet who falls for a rent boy at the local sauna and the very real story of a couple who have been together where one feels it has gone very stale and does something about it. The link to the four tales are all about love and acceptance and are all about gay relationships.To say anymore runs the risk of revealing the plot(s). However, there is so much crammed in here and not a single frame is wasted. It is at times painful, moving, touching and even funny. I was glued to the screen after a few minutes. It is 110 minutes long but feels much shorter and is in Spanish with the odd English thrown in and the sub titles are very good. This is from director Sergio Tovar Velarde and I tried t get hold of some of his other work and sadly not available in the UK. He made this in 2014 and has not made one since. I sincerely hope he does very soon – this is simply a fantastic film that I can only commend.

in fact, not only for the stories . but for science to transform each in universal message. in the most delicate/inspired manner. for the acting. and for the feeling to discover every day cases just from the next street. for the web of ages, options and wise solutions. for the image of vulnerability of characters who transforms the film not in a pledge/ portrait /lesson /manifesto but in scenes from reality. a film who seduces. for the rare and admirable manner to be more than a film about a community. for the courage to be different. and to not looking a precise target. because, more than love stories, each level is a sketch of self definition. out of rules. out of ambition to give the right way. and that transforms Four Moons in a real special movie.

And interesting that (as of this writing) the one negative review here is from a Mexican who calls it the worst gay movie ever. He couldn't be more wrong. If you're reading this, reviewer, take a look at my reviews to find a selection of truly cringe-making gay movies. Try watching Regarding Billy, for example. Betcha can't make it all the way through.Nevertheless, I think I know why someone from Mexico found this movie trite and a yawn. If you compare it to a Mexican movie like Y Tu Mama Tambien, yes, this is nowhere near that level. But it is competent, and it held my interest. Yes, it covers no new ground, but what is covered is done so in an interesting way. Another reviewer points out how American this depiction of Mexico looks. Having lived in Mexico I would agree that most if not all of these homes would have had servants. I suspect the director felt that if servants were seen, European and US audiences would not find the characters as sympathetic. And he'd be right.This is not a great film, but it is very good. I found nothing in this production to complain about. Well, all right, I didn't care much for the professor character or the actor who portrayed him. But maybe that's because (being in the same age bracket and out since Stonewall) I have little tolerance for closet cases--real or fictional--who have had their cake and now want to eat it.There is a telenovista element to the story lines, but I think that's intentional. A scene where a mother's dry recitation to her son of a telenovela plot is very telling- and very effective. And let's face it. Gay life can be a telenovela.From the Netflix description I too was expecting four short films. And I put off watching for that reason; it's not my favorite genre. But interwoven as they were worked well. I liked it. I think most American gay men will too.

The Mexican film Cuatro Lunas was shown in the U.S. with the title Four Moons (2014). It was directed by Sergio Tovar Velarde. (I'm not sure if the title refers to the fact that the movie depicts four separate stories, or takes place over four months, or both.)Sometimes, a director will interweave the stories so that characters of one story interact with characters of the other stories. Not so here. Each story is independent, but the theme of all four stories is the same--difficulties face by gay men. The stories have an age separation: one is about a pre-adolescent, one about a college-age couple, one about a couple in midlife, and one about an elderly professor who is married, with grown children, but who still seeks love from a gay hustler.I found all four stories to be realistic and very moving. I was especially impressed by the story of Joaquin, the professor, played by Alonso Echinove. He has been awarded a literary prize by a small college. It's obviously a pretty minor event, but it's the only award he's likely to receive. He pays the young hustler to attend, and the young man keeps his promise to be there.We saw this film at The Little Theatre as part of ImageOut, the always impressive Rochester LGBT Film Festival. It will work well on DVD.