Dance of the 41 is a laudable, but mostly clumsy attempt to dramatise a real event in Mexico's gay history: the arrest of 41 (or was it 42?) high-profile gay men at a drag ball in 1901. The tale is largely told from two points of view. First there is Ignacio, the closeted son-in-law of Mexican President, Porfirio Diaz. Second, the President's daughter, Amada, who is Ignacio's increasingly disillusioned and embittered wife. She sets out to find where her husband disappears to at nights and doesn't much like what she discovers. It's a plausible construct, based on rumours about the real Ignacio's sexuality, and rumours of his presence at the ball. The problem is that the film skews a little too heavily to Amada, especially since it is presumably aimed primarily at a gay audience. Sure, Amada's position deserves some sympathy and her motivation should be clear, but "Dance" places her front and centre, when it really should be Ignacio's story. This isn't helped by Mabel Cadena giving a feisty and nuanced performance as Amada, opposite a somewhat two-dimensional and at times downright wooden Alfonso Herrera as Ignacio. While Amada seethes and rages and plots revenge, Ignacio becomes increasingly cold (to her at least) and careless and unpleasant. The plotting also renders Ignacio somewhat stupid, in that he notices he's being followed but still attends the ball, presumably without raising any concerns about the surveillance. The secret gay club and its annual dance are also problematic. There's an orgy scene that is the silliest since Kubrick's oh-so-tasteful and beautifully lit orgy scenes in Eyes Wide Shut (here we get rows of gleaming white baths - seriously! - and gorgeous candle light). And I couldn't help wondering about the club engaging a small orchestra for their ball, yet apparently no security. The gay cliches and stereotypes also come thick and fast, further evidence that most of the effort went into sets, costumes and locations, and not nearly enough into the characters and the plot. Overall, Dance of the 41 is a sumptuous looking film, but only intermittently engaging. And the more you think about it, the more it falls should of what could have been.
Review of Dance of the 41
