4 Moons (2014)

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This is one of the most enjoyable gay themed movies I've watched. In "Cuatro Lunas" everything is near perfection - the plots of the four stories, the characters, the actors, the music, the editing and the cinematography. The direction is excellent as well. But what really excels is its power to grab and thrill the viewer with stories that are as simple as those of their own life. While mainstream cinema need to thrill with fantastic, complex and sometimes implausible plots, "Cuatro Lunas" shows life as simple, strange and painful as it really is for each one of us. This is one of the 5 best gay themed movies I've watched, and I've already watched a bunch of them.

I don't think this film looks at really complex themes, but they're resonant, heartfelt themes nonetheless, and coming from a Mexican film it's rare that it looks at the issues that it does. The main cast are all pretty great, some more than others. Some of the stories resonated with me more than others, and some were overall more effective than others. They're simple, but effective. It's great that Mexico is at least letting films like these be made, and I really appreciate its ambition. I hope it's able to be seen by more people because it really deserves it. Overall, very resonant and very well-made. Definitely recommended for anyone interested.

Gay cinema has reached an epitome, by walking hand in hand with director Sergio Tovar Velarde. Four Moons ( Cuatro Luna's ) is one the most beautiful yet perfect LGBTQ feature films I have seen in years. In comparison with films like The Normal Heart or Pride it doesn't bother to tell a story of struggle for rights. Its a nice blend of relationships and the time-line of sexuality. The movie has four different layers. Each and every layers poses a different timescale of life. In one those layers the director successfully portrait the fear and curiosity of a kid who has instinct for a same sex. The second luna tells when young individuals have dilemma between his own skin, his love and family responsibility. Its eventually the most relevant in our society and time. The pride and respect can precisely enter in this situation to make a dignified decision. The third layer is address the loyalty issue of gay relationship/ marriage. It also push gay men into an another degree to ask themselves that "what is the glue for a successful relation ?" Is this sex ?? or love can handle it perfectly. Director ends the third node in a situation where society can learn why the stigma should banished and so the judgmental mentality. The most captivating chapter of the movie deals with the gay men and aging. Aging is natural law, so the sexuality. But the stigma within the homosexual community about age is prominent. How a same sex also could be a inspiration for the poetic creation is cleverly captured in this celluloid.Gay poets like Oscar Wilde to Emily Dickinson has known about their keen towards creation, but may be the first time it has been filmed the inspiration behind those. In conclusion its a journey in a time machine in a homosexual stigmatized world in search of love. Its clearly convey its message as well as teach us about the priority and balance. I preach this movie to watch if you are homosexual. I believe you won't regret.

Each of the four story plots were common themes fairly realistically presented. A very young boy gets "outted" to fellow students, school authorities and parents after he gets touchy-feely with a male cousin. A couple, one of whom is out and public about being gay, while the other is closeted and fearful of public exposure, deal with the conflicts their differences create between them. An elderly married man becomes fascinated with a straight hustler who is looking to raise money for a trip north to join his family. A long- term couple, one of whom has become disenchanted with their relationship, deal with a possible break up.The story about the young boy and his parents is pretty straight forward, but lacks any depth or any originality. The resolution really only involves the father coming to terms with his son's apparent nature, and that resolution is particularly shallow and trite.The story about the older man who (suddenly?) feels attracted to, actually obsessed about, another man he encounters in a steam room also seems a little hard to fathom as presented. One gets the impression that this is his first venture outside his marriage and his fidelity to wife and family. I suppose that's possible. The idea of someone coming out or acting upon a suppressed desire fairly late in life is a popular one in movies and television. But in this case, the one encounter appears to be a sufficient expression of that desire, followed by a return to the "traditional" wife and family as if the one experience satisfied the urge for all time. And exactly why the older man felt the need for the hustler to anonymously attend his award ceremony is a little baffling. Not saying it couldn't happen, but I never felt the rationale for it was established (the recording I watched had somewhat erratic audio and subtitles, so maybe I just missed it).The other two stories seemed more complete and realistic to me, although their resolutions were a little too happily-ever-after and neatly packaged.It is definitely worth watching, but possibly there was an attempt to achieve too much in too short a time. Maybe two or three moons would have allowed for a little more depth rather than all four moons at one go.