Review: Trémulo -- Directed by Roberto Fiesco (Short Film)

In an opening scene, Carlos (Benny Emmanuel) removes a barber styling cape from Julio (Axel Arenas).

For those of you unaware, I am an English speaker who studies languages. Currently the language that has my most attention is Spanish. (Tengo mucho amor por la idioma desde era un niño pero yo empieze apprenderla cuando yo trabaje un restaurante mexicano mientras en universidad.) One of the ways I love practicing is by watching short films in Spanish with English subtitles. This one I came across quickly became a favorite I wanted to share with you all.

Trémulo is a 2015 Mexican short film directed by Roberto Fiesco. It is set in modern-day Acuapulco ( a city), in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It follows the encounter of a young Mexican soldier named Julio, who is in town for the Mexican Independence Day parade. After he pays a visit to a small barberia he is attracted to a barber named Carlos. That night, Julio returns when Carlos is alone at the barberia and pleads for him to shave his facial hair before he has to leave town the next day. Hesitantly, Carlos gives in and allows Julio inside-- little knowing the events about to unfold that night.

This short film caught my interest from start to finish. I started watching it because I was hungry for LGBT experience in a different country and language. What resulted was my fondness for the two characters as they share their time together. In the span of nineteen minutes and fifty-five seconds it makes you fall in love with two protagonists who are enjoying these brief, sensorial moments. The tenderness between the two men that was expressed in this film is especially moving for me.

As I was watching this film, I was reminded that all over the globe there are LGBT folks who are still finding ways to live and appreciate their tender moments even if they are fleeting. This film was released in 2015, seven years before gay marriage became legalized in all Mexican states. This doesn't make their struggles any less significant. Though the laws have changed there is still a road ahead for LGBT people in Mexico.

I provided a link for those of you looking to watch Trémulo. For those of us who do not speak Spanish (or are still learning) there are English subtitles.