JOSÉ is a gripping, layered and beautifully honest story about one working class young man's struggle to find himself. Made in the neorealist filmmaking tradition, the film is a nuanced and vivid look at being gay in Central America. It opens on January 31, 2020 at New York City's Quad Cinema, with national dates to follow, including Los Angeles, Miami and San Diego.
A festival favorite, it was featured at Amnesty International and in over 70 leading international festivals. It was the first ever Central America film at Venice Festival, and won the Queer Lion Award having beating other nominees THE FAVOURITE, SUSPIRIA, and MEMORIES OF MY BODY. Other awards followed.
José (magnetic newcomer Enrique Salanic) lives with his mother (Ana Cecilia Mota) in Guatemala City, where they survive on her selling sandwiches at bus stops and with him working at a local restaurant. In this poor and sometimes dangerous country dominated by conservative Catholic and Evangelical Christian religion, living as an openly gay man is hard for José to imagine. His mother has never had a husband, and as her youngest and favorite son, on the edge of manhood at 19-years old, she is determined to hold on to him. Reserved and private, José fills his free moments playing with random hook ups arranged on his phone apps and meeting in clandestine sex houses. When he meets the attractive and gentle Luis (Manolo Herrera), a migrant from the rural Caribbean coast, an unexpected romance blooms with more emotion than José has ever felt. As he is thrust into new passion and pain he is pushed into never before self-reflection. Will his reluctance to take a leap of faith lead to happiness?
Director Li Cheng (originally from China) and producer George F. Roberson (originally from the US) lived in Guatemala 2 years to make the film using all-Guatemalan cast and crew and all non-professional actors. Researched in THE 20 largest Latin American cities (in 12 countries), they built the José story based on interviews with hundreds of young people about their hopes and dreams. They restricted the story around answers to 3 key questions: which person are you closest to in your life? what's your most unforgettable memory? have you been in love? Researched in a dozen Latin countries, and filmed in Guatemala due to extreme homophobia, and young population - half under age 19. To find the typical stories of the region, young people were interviewed about their hopes and dreams - about who they're closest to in life, and about first love.
Their project was sparked from anger and disappointment in the world situation today and the film emerges with hope in the new generation of young people poised to reshape the world in breathtaking ways.
