José (film)

José is a Guatemalan feature-film social-drama by Li Cheng. It was first shown at the 75th Venice Film Festival in the Giornate degli Autori section on 6 September 2018.[2] It is the first Guatemala and Central America film ever presented in Venice Film Festival.[3]

José
Directed byLi Cheng
Written by
  • Li Cheng
  • George F Roberson
Produced by
  • George F Roberson
  • Li Cheng
Starring
  • Enrique Salanic
  • Manolo Herrera
  • Ana Cecilia Mota
CinematographyPaolo Giron
Edited byLenz Claure
Music byYao Chen
Production
company
YQstudio
Release date
  • 6 September 2018 (2018-09-06) (Venice)
Running time
85 minutes
Countries
  • Guatemala
  • USA
LanguageSpanish
Box office$26,563 [1]

The film centers the experiences a young gay Guatemalan man who lives with his mother.[4][5] The coming-of-age film grapples with the realities of being an LGBTQ+ person searching for love in a highly religious and homophobic country.[6][7]

Cast
  • Enrique Salanic as José
  • Manolo Herrera as Luis
  • Ana Cecelia Mota as Mom
  • Jhakelyn Waleska Gonzalez Gonzalez as Monica
  • Esteban Lopez Ramirez as Carlos
  • Juan Andres Molina Cardona as Juan

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter reviewer wrote of "a tender observational quality backed by confident visual sense" and the "unabashed treatment of gay sex and nudity",[8] while Rich Cline called it "earthy and honest".[9]

The film had its U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2019.[10]

Awards

José was awarded the Queer Lion on 7 September 2018.[11] The film won Best Spanish Language Film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2019.[12]

References
  1. "José (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  2. "Venice days lineup". Variety. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  3. David Lepe (26 August 2018). "Película guatemalteca competirá en el festival de cine de Venecia". Publinews (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  4. "'Jose' Film Review: Powerful Drama Examines Being Poor and Gay in Guatemala". 29 January 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  5. Kramer, Gary M. (28 January 2020). "Gay Love and Traditional Connections – Gay City News". gaycitynews.com. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  6. Kim, Kristen Yoonsoo (30 January 2020). "'José' Review: Coming of Age Gay in Guatemala". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  7. Cheng, Li (26 January 2020). "Guatemalan film 'José' is a queer love story and drama". Q Voice News. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  8. David Ronney. "'Jose': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  9. Rich Cline. "José". Shadows on the wall. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  10. Hipes, Patrick (12 January 2019). "Santa Barbara Film Festival Finalizes 2019 Lineup". Deadline. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  11. "12. Queer Lion Award to "José" by Li Cheng | Queer Lion". Queer Lion. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  12. "Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2022.


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