Someone on Letterboxd described ‘Mi Mejor Amigo,’ as the Patagonian ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ and of course I did everything I could to see this film right away.  And even though I wouldn’t describe the film as such, I thought the film, directed my Martin Deus was effective and sensitive, and I recommend it highly.

It is about a young man, Lorenzo (Angelo Mutti Spinetta) who is living a quiet life in the Patagonian region of Argentina. When Caito (Lautaro Rodriguez) comes to live with them, he finds himself confronting feeling sand a lot of the status quo that he has been comfortable with. The two develop a deep friendship, and Lorenzo ends up taking care and protecting Caito. I know some have described this as a gay coming-of-age movie, but that part is a little ambiguous. When Lorenzo’s mother confronts him about being gay, Lorenzo just shields his face and says that ‘I am not in love, I just feel bad for him.’

But is he? Lorenzo is shown pursuing and even having sex with a young girl, even as we see him almost swooning over Caito. I know some viewers would feel shortchanged by the relationship between Lorenzo and Caito, but I think I like it more that everything is subtle and could be interpreted either way. I have to say though that Spinetta is a fantastic actor, showing all the turmoil and confusion of being young and confused and unsure about everything he is feeling. I felt every emotion in his face, in his gaze. it may be my projection, but I felt the very deep love and affection he felt for Caito.