Sublime
Mariano Biasin’s gay Argentinian love story taps into the same sensibility of the Netflix hit Heartstopper (which is a good thing).
Sublime is a first feature by the Argentinian writer/director Mariano Biasin and it is fascinating to consider it in relation to another recent release, that being Beautiful Beings the Icelandic film which is the second feature by another writer/director Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson. The two men are close in age, Biasin having been born in 1980 and Gudmundsson in 1982, but both films are centred on contemporary youngsters portrayed with close understanding. Nevertheless, the tone of these two works could hardly be more different. Despite its title, Gudmundsson’s film takes an unflinching look at the extent to which present-day society threatens to lead boys into behaviour that damages themselves and others. Biasin, however, while aware of the difficulties that adolescents face, seeks to give a much more optimistic picture and Sublime puts great stress on the fact that the central character, 16-year-old Manuel (Martín Miller), is one of four youths who have formed a band and play their own music. Indeed, while one would hesitate to describe Sublime as a musical, songs certainly feature in it including numbers that are developed in rehearsal and then performed. This is far from being an incidental feature and these scenes find the editing by Maria Astrauskas at its best.
If this aspect of Sublime successfully conveys the enjoyment of being youngsters performing together in a band, that is evidence of the film’s potential appeal, not least to teenage audiences. That's part and parcel of the central fact about Sublime, namely that, although its central theme is the gradual realisation of Manuel that he is gay, this is not a movie likely to appeal far more to gay audiences than to others. Not unlike the 1998 British movie Get Real, this film offers characters and situations with which a wider audience can readily identify. A further instance of that lies in the film’s portrayal of the close bond between Manuel and Felipe (Teo Inama Chiabrando) who, growing up together, have become best friends. At the outset we see Manuel going out with a girl (Azul Mazzeo), but he gradually realises that it is Felipe to whom he is sexually attracted. This will eventually lead to Manuel admitting to Felipe the feelings that he has and we wait to see whether or not the friendship will survive this unexpected revelation. But the final scenes will in addition include the band performing for Felipe's birthday.
Sublime is a sympathetic film which gains much from the perfect casting of Martín Miller in the lead role and from a screenplay which renders the youngsters thoroughly believable while also deftly incorporating in the background indications of the strained relationship between Manuel's parents. In all respects the film feels very unforced. However, it is arguable that the running time of 100 minutes is rather more lengthy than the material calls for and the ending, which is open to interpretation, is not the film’s strongest point. Nevertheless, the film’s willingness to opt out of any detailed sex scenes while yet being uncompromising in portraying Manuel’s sexuality is a welcome move. It's hardly a major movie, but it gets the balance right and does so both in that respect and in creating a film with a gay character at its centre without that fact in any way limiting the width of its potential appeal.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Martín Miller, Teo Inama Chiabrando, Azul Mazzeo, Joaquín Arana, Facundo Trotonda, Javier Drolas, Carolina Tejeda, Candela De Carli, Agustina Midolo, Emma Subiela, Pedro González, Marcelo Subiotto.
Dir Mariano Biasin, Pro Laura Donari and Juan Pablo Miller, Screenplay Mariano Biasin, Ph Iván Gierasinchuk, Art Dir Merlina Molina Castaño, Ed Maria Astrauskas, Music Emilio Cervini, Costumes Analia Abate and Jimena Bordes.
Tarea Fina/Verdadera Imagen/Cine Argentina/INCAA-Peccadillo Pictures.
100 mins. Argentina. 2022. UK Rel: 6 February 2023. Cert. 12.
