Broken Sky
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Movie Reviews of Broken Sky
Movie Review: Simply, an amazing love between two men
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is amazing, it's a beautiful love story without so much dialogues. Highly recommended, specially if you are a gay mexican :)Movie Review: Must see
Summary: 5 Stars
This if a wonderfull, and very artistic, film. This is an example of what an art movie is all about.Movie Review: A Song Without Words
Summary: 4 Stars
'El Cielo dividido' (BROKEN SKY) is a daring, experimental film from Mexican writer/director Julián Hernández and as such it is bound to polarize audiences. Some will fault the film for self-indulgence while others will praise the bravery of a film of this topic to come from a country not exactly known for its flexible social attitudes.
Julián Hernández focuses on the history of a first love and without using dialogue he tells his story simply with silent actors, minimal narrative comments which serve as program notes, music, and ravishingly beautiful photographic composition. Gerardo (Miguel Ángel Hoppe) opens the film, a solo youth wandering what appears to be the streets of Mexico City finally ending up in an open amphitheater where his eye glimpses another lone youth Jonas (Fernando Arroyo) sitting staring into space. Gerardo wanders over to him, sits beside him, gains the courage to touch his shoulder, Jonas responds glowingly - and love begins. Through the next scenes we find the couple making love both in bed and in unexpected public places including the stacks of the library of the school where they both are students -and where another pair of eyes enters: Sergio (Alejandro Rojo) watches longingly as Gerardo and Jonas kiss and display an aura of passion Sergio obviously longs for.
The new couple share many experiences, all bathed in love, until they eventually go to a disco: Jonas dances with an enchanted Bruno (Ignacio Pereda) and a trace of chemistry is generated, a fact that Gerardo, watching the boys dance, senses and is disturbed. A crack is created in their bliss and that crack only widens as they each have mixed responses to what they perceive is escaping. Gerardo encounters the winsome Sergio and the two bond physically, a fact that forces Jason to reevaluate his initial feelings for Gerardo.
All of this story is told without dialogue of words but with a very strong dialogue of eyes. Director Hernández seems to want to share how love is an internalized emotion, only demonstrated with physical intimacy, but fragile as a newborn in its vulnerability to wounds. Cinematographer Alejandro Cantú finds stunning settings and lighting and sensitive explorations of love making that never exceed tasteful states. His manner of showing time elapsing is to pan walls within a room that serve as flashbacks and flash-forwards as a means of carrying the story forward. Film editor Emiliano Arenales Osorio uses some very creative techniques to keep the viewer guessing as to whether we are observing fact, fantasy, present or past. And the musical score by Arturo Villela deftly maintains the minimalist stance with simple phrases by cello, harpsichord, and violin, saving the passion expression for the use of Dvorák in Rusalka's 'Song to the Moon' as ravishingly sung by Renée Fleming
All of those praises being said, the major reason this film doesn't retain an audience base is its length: it is 140 minutes long, repetitive, and would have been much more powerful had it been cut to 90 minutes at best. It is far too visually stunning a piece of work to step beyond the patience of an audience happy to see the birth and blossoming and challenges of a first love between two beautiful young men. The actors are indeed a pleasure to watch, but in this case less is more. One wonders what Julián Hernández will create next. He deserves applause for this experimental film but hopefully will learn from its tendency toward self-indulgence. Grady Harp, January 07
Movie Review: Story of a passionate love
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading the reviews, I was apprehensive about watching Broken Sky. Turns out there were no reason to be because despite its flaws, I really enjoyed this movie which is beautifully filmed. The story is simple and captivating to watch. Gerardo and Jonas meet and begin a passionate affair. The young actors do a great job with their body language and expressive eyes. The sex and kissing scenes are natural as Jonas and Gerardo give themselves unreservedly to each other. On the periphery of their affair is Sergio who longs for Gerardo who ignores him completely.
One night at a nightclub, Jonas dances with another man and becomes infatuated with this stranger who leaves him standing on the dance floor. Jonas loses his passion for Gerardo and thinks about the stranger all the time. Gerardo is hurt by Jonas' rejection and tries to rekindle their passion unsuccessfully. In time, Gerardo begins to reluctantly respond to Sergio's attention. Eventually Gerardo leaves Jonas and embarks on an affair with Sergio even though he does not feel as strongly for Sergio. Alone, Jonas begins to miss Gerardo and remember their love, but sees that he is now involved with Sergio. Jonas makes advances towards Gerardo who responds hoping to recapture their passion. Meanwhile Sergio realizes that Jonas wants Gerardo back and senses something is wrong their relationship. However, Gerardo quickly realizes that he no longer loves Jonas and rejects his sexual advances. Gerardo reunites with Sergio and they profess their love for each other. Using a voiceover, we are told that some time later Jonas calls Gerardo to tell him how he regrets what happens and he will love him forever and they both cry. This poignant voiceover is accompanied by flashbacks to the boys' initial lovemaking and Jonas' encounter with the stranger on the dance floor. I am only giving a detailed synopsis because so many reviewers are understandably confused about the film's plot.
The director knowingly or unknowingly has made in this film in the tradition of Wong Kar-Wai using limited dialogue, music and voiceovers, but the movie has problems. The lack of dialogue hampers the story telling partly because we are so accustomed to dialogue, but also because by the time you discern what is going on in the scene, it is almost over and the next one is on the screen. I can't imagine sitting in a theatre watching this movie, when at home, I had to rewind the DVD several times to catch things because there are dream sequences and memories spliced into the present day scenes which makes the story somewhat confusing. Also, as other reviewers have said the movie is simply too long. The first couple of times that Jonas rejects Gerardo is enough to get the point across so move on. It seems to me that directors of all eras and continents are unable to figure out when it is time to end their movies. Even with this criticism I wish the DVD had commentary or an interview with the director to get some insight into his thought process when he made this interesting and passionate film.
Broken Sky isn't for everyone, but it is a refreshing love story. We all can relate to falling in love and losing that love. There are no manufactured obstacles coming between the young lovers instead the story unfolds naturally. Also, it was great to see a gay love story not focused on the angst of coming out or AIDS or homophobia or the gay guy falling for his straight best friend.
Movie Review: Achingly romantic
Summary: 4 Stars
"Broken Sky" is a foreign film that is watchable for anyone because director Julian Hernandez does an amazing thing: He tells the story with hardly any dialogue at all. In fact, a full 20 mins. pass by until the main characters speak..and even then, the dialogue is brief. What Hernandez does instead is tell the story through body language & subtle expressions as the camera follows the characters from one place to another.
The main characters, Jonas & Gerardo, are 2 beautiful Spanish youths who meet & fall in love at college. Their meeting begins passionately in a love scene that captures the exquisite thrill & discovery of love with someone new as the camera rests in one spot & watches the heated urgency between the boys. As the story progresses, the lovers' happiness begins to evaporate after Jonas begins to stray into the embrace of another. Subtly pushing Gerardo away in bed, eventually Gerardo follows suit, accepting the affections of Sergio, who has been shadowing the couple for quite some time.
"Sky" becomes a lyrical study in passion & pain as the characters become entangled in their own emotional webbing. It's an example of what happens when you push someone close to you away...and then, when the two finally re-unite, it is too late to retrieve what was once there. As one of the songs on the track warble, they become "close, yet so far away".
Its ending is bittersweet as Jonas & Gerardo tearfully realize the damage they've created, although they are forever close to each other in their hearts.
Hernandez takes a casual approach to the pace, in which scenes in bed alternate with public scenes (most notably, the gay dance bar). "Casual" is the word; the running time clocks in at 140 mins., quite a length for a film such as this. So you have to have a great deal of patience in order to find out how it ends. The director also eschews using the "complete camera rotation" method, in which we expect to see another person in the room once the camera stops.
"Broken Sky" is not for everyone. However, its portrayal of passion is honest, and its artistic range of emotion is unsurpassed.