User Reviews

What would differentiate this film from the confection of 'Year Calendars' so common these days, having them as subject males or females? At first we have the people chosen. The photographer didn't want professional models, but people from the streets, of course beautiful males taken form their usual activities that make them tinseled bodies: from kite flyers to surfers, they are chosen among the most beautiful Spaniards he could find, of course with that Greek torso element that distinguishes them from the man in the streets, and also looking exceptional beauty faces, masculine faces that select what the Spaniards have of most handsome. As he puts out, characters show the simple, the most aggressive, the most singular faces. Another difference from male calendars is the background that the photographer, the bask Usabiaga, traces from their models. He tries to give different backgrounds from them, showing what they do in usual life, aspirations and way of living. He avoids telling us with whom they coupled. Being supposed mostly heterosexuals, there is no clue to their sexuality, leaving it in an air of mystery. Very few women appear, and they are shown in prevalent male activities, even when they fraternize in a barbecue. As a film, there is little to be said. It's a bit monotonous in their presenting of 15 young beautiful males, that have mostly to show that Spain do have cute men taken from the people.

Before renting this via Netflix, I assumed there was something special or different about this production that would justify it's manufacture and distribution on DVD. I was wrong. This is your basic beefcake slide show; actually, rather ordinary beefcake when you get right down to it; the 15 men featured are attractive enough, but not outstandingly so, so that - in its way - has it's appeal. The DVD is easy enough to watch on that level because these guys are like some you see out and about in your town. But that's about all that is good about this disc. Very soon into the film I began to get annoyed: the poses these guys were placed in: really cheesy and dreadful...biting on a sword (puleeze), the 'just hangin' out with my handy ax' pose, and the ubiquitous "someone just ran over my dog" pout on the face of almost every guy; (so novel!) Most of the production was the kinds of things a first year high school photography student would do; and some are not even that good. (and this guy is a professional photographer? in who's opinion?) Also, the photographer's narration of the different models is distracting; the background about each guy is your basic made-up schlock and is unbelievable: the the DVD would be better without it. Equally distracting - maybe more-so - is the prose when the narrator tries to wax poetic: the writing is just tragic tragic tragic. I guess they couldn't afford an editor? All in all, this little movie really misses the mark on almost every count. Go out and buy a nice photo book of beautiful men and you will be much better entertained....a '2' rating is about all this thing is worth.

Over the course of a summer Pedro Usabiaga finds and photographs 15 beautiful young men in a style that competes with some of Bruce Weber's best. In addition to the visuals of the young men doing the shoot we get the voice over of the photographer explaining his process of finding talent, befriending the young men and putting them at ease with posing for these obviously revealing photographs.

As a film this works because of the beauty of the young men involved and the glimpses that we get into their everyday lives. The young men are uncommonly attractive and undoubtedly charming, even when fully clothed.

While this will never be great cinema it's a very pleasant way to spend an hour.

Pedro Usabiaga is a well-established Basque photographer whose chief concerns are figurative photography and whose passion in photographing the Spanish male. In this hour long conversation with the artist we are given entry into that process of selecting models (none of the models he uses for this book to be titled 'Private Diary' are professional, but instead are randomly chosen as Usabiaga observes athletes in action) and then allowed to follow Usabiaga and his crew as they photograph these men in natural settings and natural light.

The models are splendidly handsome young Spaniards - surfers, horsemen, swimmers, beach kite fliers, woodchoppers, rope climbers, runners - whose collective body fat is probably close to 0%! These are not body builders but instead are perfectly sculpted male forms who are open to the photographer's ideas and willing to go places professional models might question.

There is nothing at all traditionally erotic about these pictures we watch developing: there is no complete nudity, the focus of the camera is on the muscles at work and the faces of these inordinately handsome young men. The result is a casual conversational approach to the art of photographing the figure and the results are very fine indeed.

Usabiaga narrates in voice-over and his words are quite poetic. Coupled with a background of Bach, Beethoven, and some contemporary composers the overall effect is artistic and therefore sensual in the finest sense of the term. Yes, there is bountiful eye candy here, but there is also a richly detailed account of the relationship between artist and model offered in a finely tuned manner. And Spain never looked so beautiful! Grady Harp