Here’s a film that imagines what would happen if Bill and Ted were not time travelers, but instead were a little wiser, a little Hispanic-er, and a little gay.
Or a lot gay as in the case of Dante (Reese Gonzales).
OK, this film has nothing to do with Bill and Ted. Our heroes are high school boys and that’s about where the comparison ends. And yet, I found myself wishing for a lighter tone here. Coming of age stories are often a complex mix of dark and light and coming of age romances are full of flowers and smiles. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, however, is a drama and I wouldn’t really call it anything else.
Life is no picnic for Ari (Max Pelayo), a poor high school kid from El Paso. His parents are loving but close-mouthed at the same time, especially when it comes to the fate of his jailed older brother, never seen. Handsome and young, Ari seems like the kind of guy who’d be popular; the girls won’t leave him alone, and yet he prefers a more introverted existence until meeting Dante at the public pool. Ari is likely the only “Aristotle” in El Paso and only volunteers his true name when Dante confesses his own given name insecurity.
It’s pretty clear to all of us viewing people that Dante is gay and looking for a romantic partner. Is Ari that guy? Hmmmm, we may never know. Ari clearly enjoys Dante’s c
ompany. The two become fast friends and often hang out together in swim trunks while the El Paso summer elapses. But Dante’s love-life is so much a mystery, we’re not sure he even knows what he wants.
Oh, I see, that’s the point of the film. Hmmmm. This may well speak to a certain segment of the public, especially, say, kids who are unsure about their own sexual inclinations. I’m glad films like this exist to speak to such segments. The problem I have is that, noble as the exploration of this conundrum is, I don’t think it -by itself- is worth 98 minutes of film. And instead of watching Aristotle and Dante actually discover the secrets of the universe, writer/director Aitch Alberto gave us a lot of shots of Ari puzzling out the secrets of himself.
Aristotle And Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe eventually reaches a conclusion that will be foregone to anybody who watches a lot of film. Unfortunately, that’s the only conclusion it reaches. The film dangles a few plot points in front of us that it had no intention of resolving. I left initially satisfied but retroactively disgruntled. And the satisfaction only came from a conclusion the film should have reached at least thirty minutes earlier. The point isn’t how the boys feel, but what they’re going to do about their feelings. Well, I guess we will just have to imagine that part … along with whether or not Aristotle goes to jail for a while. I suppose this is an appropriate ending for a coming-of-age film, but it sure wasn’t for the film it wanted to be in the moment.
Aristotle was a troubled Texan teen
Until Dante made him truly feel seen
Is he more than a friend?
Will this relationship end?
The answers? Later than they should have been
Rated PG-13, 98 Minutes
Director: Aitch Alberto
Writer: Aitch Alberto, Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Genre: LGBTQ?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Confused teens
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Bigots
