José

Name: José
Genre: Drama
Released: January 31, 2020
Duration: 85 min
Rating: 75
Cast: Alba Irene Lemus, Ana Cecilia Mota, Carlos Humberto Fuentes Maldonado, Cesar Lorenzo Yojcom Candido, Enrique Salanic

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Outsider Pictures | Release Date: January 31, 2020 | Not Rated

Starring: Alba Irene Lemus, Ana Cecilia Mota, Carlos Humberto Fuentes Maldonado, Cesar Lorenzo Yojcom Candido, Enrique Salanic, Esteban Lopez Ramirez, Jennifer Cecilia Amoia Mota, Jhakelyn Waleska Gonzalez Gonzalez, Juan Andres Molina Cardona, Manolo Herrera

Summary: José (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. It is a poor and sometimes dangerous country where, dominated by conservative Catholic and Evangelical Christian religion, living one’s life as an openly gayJosé (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. It is a poor and sometimes dangerous country where, dominated by conservative Catholic and Evangelical Christian religion, living one’s life as an openly gay man is hard for José to imagine. His mother has never had a husband, and as her youngest and favorite child, though at 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 his phone and random sex with other men arranged on street corners and dating apps. When he meets attractive and gentle Luis (Manolo Herrera), a migrant from the rural Caribbean coast, they pursue an unexpected relationship with more emotion than José has ever felt. He is thrust into new passion and pain, and self-reflection, that push him to rethink his life even as he is reluctant to take a leap of faith.… Expand

Director: Li Cheng

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 85 min

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Critic Reviews

Gary Goldstein

Feb 6, 2020

José is hardly the first movie to spotlight a young person navigating their homosexuality in a repressive and perilous environment. Nonetheless, this sophomore feature from Chinese-born director Li Cheng, who co-wrote with George F. Roberson, feels like a singular and essential entry in that subset of LGBTQ coming-of-age films with an international beat. Read full review

Carlos Aguilar

Jan 29, 2020

Precisely written and deliberately shot, José, a Guatemala-set LGBTQ character examination from Chinese-born director Li Cheng, is a movie preoccupied with the private tragedy of unfulfilled impulses and aspirations as a result of widespread homophobia and emotional blackmail. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Godfrey Cheshire

Jan 31, 2020

The satisfactions of José as a whole offers are considerable, and they begin with the human element. Like the Italian neorealist classics from which it descends, the film has a keen appreciation for the lives of people who maintain a stubborn dignity and resolve under the challenges of poverty and other hardships. Read full review

David Rooney

Jan 20, 2020

This is a wisp of a film that for many will lack payoff, but it has a depth of feeling, strong sense of frustration, and hunger for growth and change that heighten involvement. Its sensitive portrait of being young and gay in an unaccommodating culture also makes it deserving of attention. Read full review

Lisa Kennedy

Feb 18, 2020

Cheng delivers a mood that is unquestionably human and, at times, unexpectedly hallowed (as when Jose stares down the worn face in a Mayan ruin). José brings to light the promise of a director as compassionate as he is observant. Read full review

Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Jan 30, 2020

The film delicately depicts the hardship of being gay in a Catholic culture and the pressure for machismo in a crime-ridden country. Read full review

Diego Semerene

Jan 27, 2020

Li Cheng gets much closer to capturing his characters’ predicaments when he trusts the images alone. Read full review

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User Reviews

AndyRyse

Jul 21, 2020

Great movie! It’s a must-see and I’ve never thought a film like this would come out a country like Guatemala full of machism, homophobia and misoginy.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

stone12

May 28, 2020

Watched again on virtual cinema. Very touching movie. I haven't been touched by any new movie for a long time.

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Brent_Marchant

Aug 30, 2020

This noble attempt at depicting the everyday difficulties faced by members of Guatemala's gay community seeks to tell a touching and often-frustrating story. However, the picture's episodic nature (especially in the second half) tends to meander so much that it loses a great deal of itsThis noble attempt at depicting the everyday difficulties faced by members of Guatemala's gay community seeks to tell a touching and often-frustrating story. However, the picture's episodic nature (especially in the second half) tends to meander so much that it loses a great deal of its cohesiveness. It's almost as if the film tries to check off items on a list of incidents to portray, with only a very loose thread stringing them together. The movie's beautiful cinematography, atmospheric score and fine performances by relative newcomers are all admirable, as is the picture's willingness to depict gay male sexuality realistically. But these noteworthy attributes aren't quite enough to save a film that fundamentally has trouble finding its way, a valiant effort that ultimately comes up short.… Expand

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GreatMartin

Feb 14, 2020

I have been sitting here for an hour trying hard to find something positive to say about this movie and the best I can come up with is, "It isn't a bad movie!"

This movie runs 85 minutes and if all the useless 'fill' was edited out it just might have made an hour TV show in the 1960s exceptI have been sitting here for an hour trying hard to find something positive to say about this movie and the best I can come up with is, "It isn't a bad movie!"

This movie runs 85 minutes and if all the useless 'fill' was edited out it just might have made an hour TV show in the 1960s except now the quite not out of the closet gay 19-year-old uses a phone app to hook up with other guys.

Jose has a needy, religious mother and when he finally falls in love he has to choose between her and the man he loves.

Does the fact that he is poor and lives in Guatemala make this an 'interesting and different' movie? No!

What and how does his mother make a living? How does Jose make a living? He stands out in the middle of the street waving his hands, seemingly directing traffic. Why does Li Cheng, the director, and screenwriter with George F. Roberson, bring in a scene with Jose's grandmother except to allow a few more scenic shots? How does Jose, so poor, have the money to spend on 'rent by the hour' hotel rooms to take the guys he meets over the phone app?

Why do Cheng and Roberson waste time with unnecessary cinematography and storylines that go nowhere? Why not tell us about the mother, the grandmother and, certainly more about Jose and Luis, the man he falls in love with?

Yes, there is nudity and showing men having sex and about as interesting as showing heterosexual couples having sex in their movies! Oh yes, no full-frontal nudity and only one quick sideways shot!

It is not all bad and/boring as there is a 10-15 minute scene of Jose (Enrique Salanic) and Luis (Manolo Herrera) riding on a motorcycle along the countryside that is as romantic, joyful and Valentine Day's worthy as you could have seen in and 1960s movie.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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