End of the Century

There's something so rare and precious about 'End of the Century'. Though barely an hour and a half long, it somehow dares to ask enormous questions about love and longing and desire that very few queer films on the relationships of gay men have asked before. At its heart, the film is a ghost story - as all great memory plays are - and you feel the presence of these ghosts in every exquisite frame. Lucio Castro has given us a real gift with his debut film, anchored by two quietly breathtaking performances. The more I think about 'End of the Century', the more potent its memory becomes. It makes me think about those fleeting connections from the past, the lingering riddle of what might have been, the ghosts of moments and experiences that ne...

I really enjoyed watching this - though it's taken me two attempts before I "think" I have understood the chronology of it all. "Ocho" (Juan Barberini) is having a break in Barcelona when he spots a man from his balcony and again on the beach. When he spies him - "Javi" (Ramon Pujol) for a third time - again from is balcony - he invites him up and they have some passionate, but rather transactional (he even has to go out and buy some condoms) sex before spending the next day together. During their conversation, they realise that this isn't the only time they have met... At first, I assumed the next chunk of the film was the pair sentimentalising about that time when - ostensibly, "Ocho" goes to stay with his friend "Sonia" (Mía Maestro) and...