Synopsis
Examines the struggles of a man petrified by the notion of human contact and intimacy. Armando, aged 50, cruises young men in the streets of Caracas and pays them to come back to his house. He also regularly spies on an older man with whom he seems to have ties from the past. One day he meets 17-year-old Elder, leader of a small band of thugs. Their turbulent relationship will come to mimic the violent, passionate, oppressive unpredictability of the city around them.
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Cast
- Alfredo CastroArmando
- Luis SilvaElder
- Jericó MontillaAmelia
- Catherina CardozoMaría
- Marcos MorenoManuel
- Jorge Luis BosqueFernando
- Felipe MassianiJavier Marcano
- Auffer CamachoMermelada
- Iván PeñaYoni
Recommendations
- 100
The Hollywood Reporter
Deliberately detached in its observational style, yet as probing, subtle and affecting as any psychological drama could wish to be, this is an elliptical film that trusts its audience enough to peel away exposition and unnecessary dialogue, uncovering rich layers of ambiguity. - 91
The Film Stage
Through it all, Vigas’ writing remains non-judgmental and keenly observant. He doesn’t attempt to explain everything with words, but the raw honesty of his voice compels every step along the way. - 90
Variety
Looking, not touching, is the act of choice for a sexually wary gay man in From Afar, and his hands-off approach is shared by the expert storytelling in Venezuelan helmer Lorenzo Vigas’ pristinely poised but deeply felt debut feature. - 88
Slant Magazine
The film renders visible a very complicated, and awfully repressed, truth not only about gay desire, but desire in general. - 80
Screen Daily
It’s above all a character study, as well as an elegant technical achievement that puts a distinctive stylistic slant on its realist subject matter. - 80
The New York Times
In withholding biographical information about the characters, the movie supplies just enough material to prompt you to fill in the blanks. - 75
The Playlist
Vigas' grip is so tight that even if you do get to the heart of his meaning, there's a chance it will have had the life squeezed out of it. - 60
CineVue
The more conventional thriller element demands that the transformation from enmity to something like love is too swiftly accomplished to be properly convincing.
