Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Billy Ollie
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
KobusAdAstra
We are treated to four different yet interwoven stories; the common denominator being that they deal with being gay and gay relationships.In one story we meet an elderly closeted gay poet, Joaquín (Alonso Echánove); he is married, with a seemingly happy wife and daughters. He is smitten by a young male prostitute, Gilberto (Alejandro Belmonte) he meets in a bath-house. In a second story we get an example of a long-term (ten year) gay relationship that is starting to fall apart. Unfaithful Hugo (Antonio Velásquez) is involved in an affair with another man. His sensitive partner, Andrés (Alejandro de la Madrid) is trying his best to save their relationship. The relationship between two young gay men is put under pressure in a third story; Leo (Gustavo Egelhaaf) is closeted and scared to reveal his sexual orientation, whilst Fito (César Ramos) does not want to remain in the closet any longer. This leads to tension. In the fourth story a clearly gay boy, Mauricio (Gabriel Santoyo) develops a crush on his older cousin, Oliver (Sebastián Rivera). Mauricio desperately wants to get closer to Oliver, but it is a risky move; what if Oliver is straight and homophobic? The director, Sergio Tovar Velarde, effectively highlights some of the issues faced by gays: Social pressure resulting in fear and closeted lifestyles, a swinging lifestyle and promiscuity, and how hard it is to make a long-term relationship work. Furthermore, it shows us how a homophobic and intolerant society, fueled by the church, can result in bullying and assault. I found the acting splendid, and so too the cinematography and soundtrack, and score 'Cuatro Lunas' an excellent 8/10.
ekeby
And interesting that (as of this writing) the one negative review here is from a Mexican who calls it the worst gay movie ever. He couldn't be more wrong. If you're reading this, reviewer, take a look at my reviews to find a selection of truly cringe-making gay movies. Try watching Regarding Billy, for example. Betcha can't make it all the way through.Nevertheless, I think I know why someone from Mexico found this movie trite and a yawn. If you compare it to a Mexican movie like Y Tu Mama Tambien, yes, this is nowhere near that level. But it is competent, and it held my interest. Yes, it covers no new ground, but what is covered is done so in an interesting way. Another reviewer points out how American this depiction of Mexico looks. Having lived in Mexico I would agree that most if not all of these homes would have had servants. I suspect the director felt that if servants were seen, European and US audiences would not find the characters as sympathetic. And he'd be right.This is not a great film, but it is very good. I found nothing in this production to complain about. Well, all right, I didn't care much for the professor character or the actor who portrayed him. But maybe that's because (being in the same age bracket and out since Stonewall) I have little tolerance for closet cases--real or fictional--who have had their cake and now want to eat it.There is a telenovista element to the story lines, but I think that's intentional. A scene where a mother's dry recitation to her son of a telenovela plot is very telling- and very effective. And let's face it. Gay life can be a telenovela.From the Netflix description I too was expecting four short films. And I put off watching for that reason; it's not my favorite genre. But interwoven as they were worked well. I liked it. I think most American gay men will too.
Steve Adamy
This film approaches the topics in a great way. It's fantastic that a Mexican film is finally taking this topic seriously. I think reducing the story from four moons to the 2 sides of the moon it would have been better. Two stories well developed would have been great.Acting was good and the way it was film was nice too. It tried to avoid clichés but it fell in a few. The stories are believable and feel real. You can identify even if you are not gay. Totally recommended to watch, I hope more film like this keep coming.We need positive portrayal of gay people especially in Latin American films
Suradit
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.