?Chuecatown? (2007)
Directed by Juan Flahn
Written by Sandra Serna
CHUECATOWN? (Castelao Productions-Canonigo Films S.A.) is a hilarious and charming gay black comedy celebrating the homosexual claim of societal space, both figurative and literal, in contemporary Spanish culture, specifically in a district called Chueca in the bosom of Madrid. Its international English title is ?Boystown.?
Chueca is the most popular gay center of Madrid. It is centered on the Plaza de Chueca and Chueca metro station. Hundreds of gay-oriented enterprises such as bars, cafés, clubs, restaurants, book stores and designer shops are found here.
A few years ago, Chueca was a dangerous place where drugs and male prostitution were rampant. However, Madrid?s growing rich gay community has recently transformed Chueca into one of the fashionable and cosmopolitan areas in the capital city of Spain.
The Dia del Orgullo Gay or Madrid?s Gay Pride Parade takes place on a weekend in June. It is during this time that Chueca becomes the center of attraction.
In the movie, there is no gay parade, only the sweet love story of Leo (Pepon Nieto) and Rey (muy guapo Carlos Fuentes, not the great Mexican novelist), who are trying to claim their own romantic homosexual space in Chueca.
Relationship tested
Leo is an overweight driving instructor while Rey is a handsome muscled guy who is an all-around repair man. They are always broke but happy with their life except for a not-so-occasional jealous fit of Leo, who is insecure of his physical attributes.
Their relationship is tested when Rey?s mother, Antonia (played by Concha Velasco), who never liked Leo in the first place for his being just a lowly driving instructor and a maricon at that, comes to live with them in their apartment building. (Rey inherited the neighboring flat from an old woman who was murdered.)
Leo and Antonia often argue. The wit of their verbal joust is one of the most entertaining parts of the film. Antonia threatens to do her best to separate Leo from Rey and Leo threatens Antonia to do his best to throw her out of their apartment.
Meanwhile, there?s Victor (Pablo Puyol), who is a real-estate broker and developer of Chueca. His vision for Chueca is to be a place for sexy and fashionable gay couples like him.
He is disturbed to see old women in Chueca and offers to buy their apartments so he can renovate and sell it to moneyed gay couples. If these women refuse, Victor murders them. That is what happened to the old lady who left her flat to Rey. Perhaps Antonia is next?
Victor seduces Leo so it will be easier for him to kill Antonia. But Antonia, just like all bad weeds, is not easy to annihilate.
Messianic effort
The absurdity (and, of course, the badness) of Victor?s obsession to make Chueca a real and pure gay district where two beautiful men loving each other can kiss freely, and in the process murders one by one the old straight women living alone in their apartments to get rid of them, is not really promoting the literal killing of straights to give their spaces to gays. It is a hilarious metaphor for claiming the homosexual domain.
Bad guys, or gays, should really go to jail. But still, his messianic effort in securing Chueca for gays is admirable if we consider there is so much homophobia and so many bigots around the world forcing many gays to live inside the dark, cramped and crippling space of the closet.
The love affair of Leo and Rey (take note of their names: a lion and a king) will always be threatened by the narrowness of the mind of the heterosexual society and, therefore, they will need some help from the likes of Victor in order to be victorious. They will need the beautiful and fabulous protection of a town called Chueca.
?Chuecatown? is a joy to watch for gays and straights alike, whether those on the thin side or on the heavy side. Who says love is gendered, or that weight is an impediment to the marriage of true minds?
?Chuecatown? will be screened on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m., and on Oct. 3 at midnight. Venue: Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2. For Adults Only.
(John Iremil E. Teodoro, author of eight literary books, is a multilingual and multi-awarded writer and critic from San Jose de Buenavista, Antique. He has won several Palanca awards for his works and a National Book Award for nonfiction. He teaches at Miriam College in Quezon City.)
