By Juan Markos
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/14/23 – At the Outfest film festival, I attended the Los Angeles premiere of “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.” A coming-of-age movie directed by Aitch Alberto, it’s an adaptation of the 2012 novel by the same name written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
The film follows two teenage, Mexican American boys whose friendship borders romance. The film takes place in El Paso Texas in 1987. The movie opens with Ari Mendoza (Max Pelayo) in a community swim class, where he meets Dante Quintana (Reese Gonzales) who offers Ari swim classes, and a friendship is instantly born.
The two boys come from very different families, Aristotle comes from a more traditional Mexican family, his father is played by Spanish Film legend and comic Eugenio Derbez (The Valet) a Veteran who’s a mailman, his mother is played by Verónica Falcón (Perry Mason) his parents are more typical Mexican American parents, where things are better left unsaid and the fathers machismo influence lingers onto Ari, Dantes parents are a bit more progressive played by Eva Longoria (desperate housewives) & Kevin Alejandro (Arrow) They welcome Ari into their family as part of.
The boys become best friends and then they are separated by summer, Dante goes to Chicago, for a semester after his father is offered a professorship, Ari stays in El Paso, they communicate via letters which reminds me always of Love Letters a play by A.R. Gurney which centers around two characters reading of letters to each other over some time. Ari takes a job at a burger joint, and their time apart brings them together. Donte writes to him about his struggles with his sexuality, Ari kisses a girl, and discovers his family’s deep dark secrets, his brother in prisons’ crime of passion and aunt Tia Ophelias gay life. The film is a boy coming of age story which is relatable to anyone gay or straight, the teenage angst, insecurities, embarrassing family dynamics, and the bonds of friendship.