José (film)

José
Directed byLi Cheng
Written by
  • Li Cheng
  • George F Roberson
Produced by
  • George F Roberson
  • Li Cheng
Starring
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]

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][failed verification]

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

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Reception

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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

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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

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  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.