BFI Flare 2018: Marilyn

K A O S
at
B F I  F L A R E
L o n d o n  L G B T  F i l m  F e s t i v a l  2 0 1 8

"Marcos (Walter Rodríguez) is a gentle, shy boy who helps around his family’s rented cattle ranch. Rustlers are a constant threat, but Marcos seems happier advising his mother on her wardrobe and doing her hair. His family and other locals sense his difference and perceive it as weakness. Following his father’s death and on the celebration of the night of the carnival, Marcos dresses as a young woman and even enjoys the opportunity to dance and flirt with seeming impunity. But there are serious consequences when he is confronted by young men who seem both violently attracted to and utterly repelled by him. Discovering his own sexual desires forces a change in Marcos’ attitudes and makes him fight back against his family’s attempts to control him."

For Marcos (Walter Rodríguez), life in the rural outskirts of Buenos Aires ain't a lot of fun. But boy girl, he don't make things easy for himself.

Argentine director Martin Rodriguez Redondo’s debut, Marilyn, is based on the true story of Marcelo B (now Marilyn), who shot his mother and brother to death, was sentenced to life in prison, and married in prison - Argentina’s first in a prison (to a serial rapist. But that, as Redondo pointed out in last night's Q&A, is another story.)

Redondo’s film is a contemplative, understated, portrait of repressed youth, offering hope, a shocking denouement, and a uniformly brilliant cast
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The big winners at last year's festival, for me, were Jesús and Corpo Elétrico (Eng: Body Electric), from Chile and Brazil respectively. In 2016, Venezuela's Desde allá (Eng: From Afar) startled. Marilyn continues the South American winning streak. Will our trip back to Brazil with Tinta Bruta (Eng: Hard Paint) maintain the momentum?





Every year, KAOS reports from the annual BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival. This year, I'll be reviewing seven films. 


Next time: Hard Paint

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