A smart drama about the insane price that a queer person has to pay to attain a level of success in the public eye. Though the screenplay is occassionally a bit schematic, Night Stage is a sexy drama with thematic smarts to match. The open-faced Matias Gabriel Faryas and tenebrous Fabio Henrique Barreira are roommates and fellow actors in a new theatre work.
Notably, their characters are the last two standing at the end of the final act, with one having to force the other off a ledge before declaiming the triumphant closing monologue. No points for guessing this will play a pivotal role later on, when the stakes are raised, in one of the few instances in which a dramatic setup feels a bit laboured.
This Eve Harrington move pays off as he finally lands the lead. In parallel, the dreadlocked cutie has a nighttime hookup with the hunky, bearded redhead Rafael Cirillo Luna , who already insists on being as discreet as possible. The reason for this emerges only later, when Matias realises Rafael is a squeaky-clean political candidate not only running for mayor, but likely to win.
Though it should have been a one night stand, both get hooked on each other when they realise they like the danger of discovery associated with sex in public places. But as their careers take off, this becomes increasingly risky. While the film has clear elements of the thriller genre and revenge movies, it is also a smart drama about the insane price that a queer person has to pay to attain a level of success in the public eye.
What if the subversive streak in being queer is perhaps even more important than the gender of the person you are sleeping with? Music choices and editing feel thoroughly contemporary. International sales: M-Appeal, sales m-appeal. Screen International is the essential resource for the international film industry. Subscribe now for monthly editions, awards season weeklies, access to the Screen International archive and supplements including Stars of Tomorrow and World of Locations.
