Strand ReleasingNEW YORK -- Mexican filmmaker Julian Hernandez carries minimalism to extremes in the follow-up to his acclaimed debut "A Thousand Clouds of Peace". Unfortunately, "Broken Sky", an elongated, largely visual portrait of the complicated relationship between two male university students, is unlikely to reap similar hurrahs. Nearly dialogue-free and running a numbing 140 minutes, the film is an endurance test notable mainly for its evocative cinematography and the well-toned bodies of its young male leads.
Characterization and narrative are nearly absent in the film, which depicts the relationship between Gerardo (Miguel Angel Hoppe) and Jonas (Fernando Arroyo) and the rift that develops between them when the latter spots the handsome Bruno (Ignacio Pereda) at a club and strays. This sends Gerardo into the arms of the university's hunky maintenance man, Sergio (Alejandro Rojo), and that's about it. Oh, and the characters spend a lot of time club-hopping.
Using sparse voice-over narration to provide a poetic commentary to the proceedings, the filmmaker largely concentrates on the physical relations among the characters, from lingering soulful glances to naked embraces to lovemaking. The copious, beautifully lit and photographed images of the sculpted bodies provide some diversion for a while, but ultimately the film's airless abstraction makes for a stultifying viewing experience.
Characterization and narrative are nearly absent in the film, which depicts the relationship between Gerardo (Miguel Angel Hoppe) and Jonas (Fernando Arroyo) and the rift that develops between them when the latter spots the handsome Bruno (Ignacio Pereda) at a club and strays. This sends Gerardo into the arms of the university's hunky maintenance man, Sergio (Alejandro Rojo), and that's about it. Oh, and the characters spend a lot of time club-hopping.
Using sparse voice-over narration to provide a poetic commentary to the proceedings, the filmmaker largely concentrates on the physical relations among the characters, from lingering soulful glances to naked embraces to lovemaking. The copious, beautifully lit and photographed images of the sculpted bodies provide some diversion for a while, but ultimately the film's airless abstraction makes for a stultifying viewing experience.
- 10/10/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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