Contemporary Queer Films of Mexico

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Action, adventure, romance, and comedy all rolled up into a cinematic experience of pure escapism that still makes you think after the stories are done. Sounds like the perfect film series. The fact that these films use queer stories and characters to entertain you is almost beside the point.

“Queer cinema has moved beyond the need to just tell stories about the struggles of coming out,” explained James A. Nadeau Executive Director of Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBT Film Festival, who worked with the Museum of Fine Arts film department to put together the program for Una lengua muy poderosa: Contemporary Queer Films of Mexico. “These are movies, both feature length and short films, that tell strong, and I think important, stories that will transport the audience into a world few of them know anything about, which is not the Mexico they know from travel ads and vacation spots. It’s the real world as known by these Mexican filmmakers. They just happen to have queer characters.”

The series, which runs through Sept. 10, uses recent LGBT-themed films from Mexico to examine questions of sexism, crime, class, and Mexico’s colonial history, while offering a very different view of the country than that seen through American pop culture. Contemporary Queer Films of Mexico features three narrative features: Carmin Tropical directed by Rigoberto Perezcano (Mexico, 2014); I Promise You Anarchy (Te prometo anarquía) by Julio Hernandez Cordon (Mexico, 2015); and Casa Roshell Directed by Camila José Donoso (Mexico/Chile, 2017). The series also includes a short film program, screening on September 9th and 10th.

“Most American filmmakers think of making a short film as a calling card to get them some attention and, hopefully, the chance to direct a full feature,” Nadeau explained. “The rest of the world sees them very differently, feeling that some stories can be told, and told well, in less time than a feature film. It’s an exciting way of looking at film; because there’s a limited time frame the filmmakers really make bold choices to grab your attention.”

Although it may be a new genre to some American film fans, queer cinema is a growing film culture in Mexico, one that is really gaining prestige both in Mexico and around the world at both straight and queer film festivals. “We’ve wanted to put a program like this together for a while, but it just takes time to put it all together,” Nadeau said.

Wicked Queer: The Boston LGBT Film Festival and MFA Film present Una lengua muy poderosa: Contemporary Queer Films of Mexico at the Museum of Fine Arts through Sept. 10. For more information. Click HERE.