Movie Review: Coming of Age Gay in 1980s El Paso — “Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of theUniverse”

Movie Review: Coming of Age Gay in 1980s El Paso — “Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of theUniverse”,As we enter the fifth decade of gay coming-of-age screen romances, the biggest challenge for filmmakers seems to be finding something new to say on the subject. To be fair, the straight version of such tales of "first love" has been similarly trapped for a lot longer. "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the…

Movie Review: Coming of Age Gay in 1980s El Paso — “Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of theUniverse”

As we enter the fifth decade of gay coming-of-age screen romances, the biggest challenge for filmmakers seems to be finding something new to say on the subject. To be fair, the straight version of such tales of “first love” has been similarly trapped for a lot longer.

“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” is a sweet period piece about middle class Mexican American teens figuring out their same sex attraction over a couple of El Paso summers in the late ’80s.

Based on a novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, it’s safe, unchallenging, PG-13 and just bougie enough to fit in that “Love, Simon” formula. English, Spanish or Spanglish, this love affair isn’t going to be “Amores Perros.” But handled with great sensitivity by all involved, it comes off in all the most predictable ways.

Max Pelayo, also in the new drama “Marisol,” is our hero and narrator, a kid given the lofty name “Aristostle” by his mailman father.

It took me six scenes to figure out that white haired, bearded patriarch was Eugenio Derbez.

“Ari” is a loner lost in his thoughts who has figured out, at 16, that “alone is better.” But he’s no sooner narrated “one more summer without learning to swim” when a stranger offers to help. That’s Dante (Reese Gonzales), a freer spirit, son of college educated parents (Kevin Alejandro and Eva Longoria), a lover of art (his dad’s a professor) and still teen enough to debate the merits of various comic books.

They strike up a friendship, hang out with each other’s families, dabble in astronomy and ignore the nattering of the school gossup (Isabella Gomez) and the sympathetic winks of Ari’s “she’s different” aunt (Marlene Forte).

Dante’s dad takes a research sabbatical and they’re separated a year, and the tone of his letters suggests sexual coming of age and makes Ari uncomfortable in ways such narratives always lead us into.

And then Dante comes home.

Everything above is something of a genre cliche, and the film’s later second and entire third act is no different. But “sweet” does a lot of heavy lifting. The performances are sensitive, and the soft-sale of the story arc doesn’t hammer home its points. Writer-director Aitch Alberto just lets them happen.

The leads are attractive, nicely immersed in their roles. And the presence of Longoria and Derbez in the cast got the film financed and distributed.

It’s a gentle as well as generic take on this subject, with some gay bashing (1987, El Paso, Latino community) to remind us how far the culture has come in terms of tolerance, and make one wonder how far it has to go.

Movies like “Aristotle and Dante” aren’t for the jaded or worldly, as Longoria and Derbez might agree. The whole idea here is to show teens that this “There’s something wrong with me” speech (another genre cliche) isn’t accurate, that they aren’t the first to feel that way and that loving parents — especially today — are better equipped to handle that.

That messaging, the engaging leading men and the picture’s inherent charm put it over, despite its many “on-the-nose” situations and despite the comically symbolic names “Aristotle” and “Dante,” something only a writer dazzling in Young Adult fiction would concoct.