(2017, 91 min)
Country: Brazil, Mexico, Italy
Director: Various Directors
Studio: TLA Releasing
Language: Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
SYNOPSIS: Desire is mysterious. Desire is overwhelming. Desire is tragic. Desire is FURIOUS. The many permutations of that strange thing called desire are on full display in this romantic, profoundly entertaining (and often arousing) collection of stellar short films from an array of staggeringly talented international filmmakers.
Daytime Doorman tracks the burgeoning desire between Marcelo and his sexy doorman Marcio. Xavier charts the beginnings of desire, when Nicholas begins to notice his son, Xavier, only pays attention to certain types of boys. The Other Side is about the frustrations of unfulfilled desire when the object of your lust is beyond your reach- literally. The Tigers Fight explores what happens when one man, unbound by the ancient traditions, decides to subvert what s expected of him to declare his desire for his best friend, and finally, in Loris Is Fine we learn about the lengths two young lovers will go to prove that their love is beyond desire.
REVIEW:
Furious Desires is a collection of 5 short films that explore the theme of desire between men. Each of the shorts is very different offering different perspectives from men of all ages. The shorts vary from erotic and explicit to rather sweet and innocent, with plenty in between. The five directors who are showcased here are Simone Bozzelli, Denisse Quintero, Ricky Mastro, Rodrigo Alvarez Flores and Fabio Leal.
The Daytime Doorman [Brazil] is the first of the shorts, which is written and directed by Fabio Leal who also has a small role in it. The short tells the story of Marcelo (Carlos Eduardo Ferraz) who becomes attracted to his hunky, seemingly straight and married doorman Marcio (Edilson Silva). After persuading Marcio to give him a ride on his bike, the two men share a moment and become involved in a passionate affair.
The film is the most explicit included on Furious Desires and the sex is fairly graphic. As the story is pretty engaging, the sex doesn’t detract from it rather adding to the overall believability of the story. It’s one of the best shorts on the collection with strong performances from its two leads and it tells a well-told story in an interesting and engaging way.
As a complete contrast, the second short is Xavier [Brazil], a tale of a man who notices that his young son is paying attention to boys in more than a friendly way. When others express their concern over Xavier’s (Gregorio Musatti) behaviour, his father Nicolas (Andre Guerreiro Lopes) just observes him without judgement. It’s a very sweet short and a nice tale of acceptance between a father and his gay son.
Elsewhere on the collection two boys are separated by a border after embarking on a forbidden relationship in the heart-breaking The Other Side [Mexico], The Tiger’s Fight [Mexico] finds a man declaring his love for his best friend, and Loris is Fine [Italy] explores one half of a frustrated couple who is looking for a hook-up while his lover is absent.
All of the films have something to say but for me The Daytime Doorman and Xavier are the standouts. I enjoyed the other three films but they didn’t pack the same emotional punch as the first two. If you’re a fan of Peccadillo Pictures’ Boys on Film series, you’ll likely find plenty to enjoy with Furious Desires. Each of the five films here are worthy of your time but you’ll likely find yourself going back to the first two for a few repeat viewings.
-- Review by Pip Ellwood-Hughes (www.entertainment-focus.com)
