September 8, 2023
FILM: ARISTOTLE & DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
DIRECTED BY: AITCH ALBERTO
STARRING: MAX PELAYO, REESE GONZALES, EVA LONGORIA
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
The new film Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is based on a popular YA novel by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The book has a passionate following, particularly among young Latinos who relate to the struggles of identity facing the title characters. Fortunately, the film has enough universality in its coming of age themes that there may in fact be something for everyone to connect to in this enjoyable work.
Living in El Paso, Texas, Aristotle is of Mexican descent and finds himself a bit of an outcast among his peers. While attempting to swim at a public pool, he meets Dante who is more self-confident and outgoing. The two strike up a strong friendship fairly quickly and become inseparable – until Dante announces that he will be living with his father in Chicago for a year. What results is a lot of letter writing, heard via voice-overs, between the two as they mature during their final year in high school. Dante, in particular, begins to express his awakening homosexuality that subsequently spurs a lot of questions within Aristotle about his own identity and friendship with Dante.
There are certainly some familiar elements here from the coming out stories we’ve seen before. The friendship is strong and the question of how Dante’s burgeoning sexuality will play out is highly present. What might make the film more unique for some is the Mexican American characters and, in particular, their warm and loving families. Aristotle’s parents are particularly interesting. Mom is somewhat traditional but highly open. Dad is quiet and has a hard time expressing anything to his son. Yet there’s nothing overtly stereotypic about their portrayals. This makes Aristotle’s own inner struggle a bit confusing here. On the surface it would seem he’d be more in touch with his own feelings but perhaps the machismo Mexican culture from which he descends doesn’t openly express its feelings. This is 1987 after all.
Aristotle as a character stands in contrast to Dante and his own upbringing. The former is very handsome but unsure of himself and his relation to others. His bedroom is almost completely bare. Dante, on the other hand, is very gregarious and has a messy bedroom overstuffed with various symbols of his interests. Aristotle has finely combed hair whereas Dante’s is wilder suggesting his own sense of adventure and freedom. Dante is also of a mixed race. He has a white father and a Mexican American mother (played by Eva Longoria.) They are the kind of parents that easily welcome Dante’s friend into their home and invite him along on a family trip. They’re nicely depicted if a bit one-dimensional at times. In any case, both families are the kind you’d want any kid to have. It’s the outside world that causes trouble for the boys.
Given the era in which the film is set, there is homophobia in the air as are fears of AIDS. Writer/Director Aitch Alberto has done a great job of depicting the time period. The music, cars, clothes are very much in line with 1987. Even if the parents may be more supportive than some might think from the time, one certainly feels a sense of the era here. One could also read that there is universality to what the boys and their families’ experience that continues to make the story relevant today. Perhaps that’s why the book is beloved by today’s younger generation.
The inexperienced lead actors are very good as the title characters. Max Pelyao as Aristotle in particular possesses poster boy good looks and a brooding presence that echoes male pop idols dating back to James Dean. He definitely has a future on screen. Reese Gonzales is warm and very much in line with his character. At a screening of the film I attended earlier this year, Gonzales happily posed for photos with his adoring fans with which he clearly has made an impact.
While the film features a lot of familiar themes and beats, it is still a satisfying film for anyone who appreciates a good coming of age and friendship story.
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is currently playing at Landmark at the Glen in Glenview.
FILM: ARISTOTLE & DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
DIRECTED BY: AITCH ALBERTO
STARRING: MAX PELAYO, REESE GONZALES, EVA LONGORIA
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
The new film Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is based on a popular YA novel by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The book has a passionate following, particularly among young Latinos who relate to the struggles of identity facing the title characters. Fortunately, the film has enough universality in its coming of age themes that there may in fact be something for everyone to connect to in this enjoyable work.
Living in El Paso, Texas, Aristotle is of Mexican descent and finds himself a bit of an outcast among his peers. While attempting to swim at a public pool, he meets Dante who is more self-confident and outgoing. The two strike up a strong friendship fairly quickly and become inseparable – until Dante announces that he will be living with his father in Chicago for a year. What results is a lot of letter writing, heard via voice-overs, between the two as they mature during their final year in high school. Dante, in particular, begins to express his awakening homosexuality that subsequently spurs a lot of questions within Aristotle about his own identity and friendship with Dante.
There are certainly some familiar elements here from the coming out stories we’ve seen before. The friendship is strong and the question of how Dante’s burgeoning sexuality will play out is highly present. What might make the film more unique for some is the Mexican American characters and, in particular, their warm and loving families. Aristotle’s parents are particularly interesting. Mom is somewhat traditional but highly open. Dad is quiet and has a hard time expressing anything to his son. Yet there’s nothing overtly stereotypic about their portrayals. This makes Aristotle’s own inner struggle a bit confusing here. On the surface it would seem he’d be more in touch with his own feelings but perhaps the machismo Mexican culture from which he descends doesn’t openly express its feelings. This is 1987 after all.
Aristotle as a character stands in contrast to Dante and his own upbringing. The former is very handsome but unsure of himself and his relation to others. His bedroom is almost completely bare. Dante, on the other hand, is very gregarious and has a messy bedroom overstuffed with various symbols of his interests. Aristotle has finely combed hair whereas Dante’s is wilder suggesting his own sense of adventure and freedom. Dante is also of a mixed race. He has a white father and a Mexican American mother (played by Eva Longoria.) They are the kind of parents that easily welcome Dante’s friend into their home and invite him along on a family trip. They’re nicely depicted if a bit one-dimensional at times. In any case, both families are the kind you’d want any kid to have. It’s the outside world that causes trouble for the boys.
Given the era in which the film is set, there is homophobia in the air as are fears of AIDS. Writer/Director Aitch Alberto has done a great job of depicting the time period. The music, cars, clothes are very much in line with 1987. Even if the parents may be more supportive than some might think from the time, one certainly feels a sense of the era here. One could also read that there is universality to what the boys and their families’ experience that continues to make the story relevant today. Perhaps that’s why the book is beloved by today’s younger generation.
The inexperienced lead actors are very good as the title characters. Max Pelyao as Aristotle in particular possesses poster boy good looks and a brooding presence that echoes male pop idols dating back to James Dean. He definitely has a future on screen. Reese Gonzales is warm and very much in line with his character. At a screening of the film I attended earlier this year, Gonzales happily posed for photos with his adoring fans with which he clearly has made an impact.
While the film features a lot of familiar themes and beats, it is still a satisfying film for anyone who appreciates a good coming of age and friendship story.
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is currently playing at Landmark at the Glen in Glenview.