by Jake Hjort, Contributing Writer
Set in Texas in the late 1980’s, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe tells the story of Aristotle (Max Pelayo) and Dante (Reese Gonzales), two Mexican-American teenagers struggling to realize their identities and find their place in the world. Part coming-of-age story and part romantic drama, the film follows the two boys over the course of a year as their relationship begins, develops, and evolves. Although neither is able to admit it at the beginning of the story, both Aristotle and Dante are gay, and their coming to terms with this in different ways and at different paces is the core of the film.
By and large, I really enjoyed the film’s story. Adapted from a novel of the same name written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aitch Alberto’s script does a great job of staying focused and avoiding clichés. Although there are certainly some story beats that I’ve seen in other romance films before, there are also several moments where I was expecting one thing to happen and found myself pleasantly surprised that the film went another way. Aristotle, Dante, and their families all feel authentic, and I resonated with the turmoil felt by the two protagonists.
Of course, a lot of this authenticity is due in large part to the performances. Pelayo and Gonzales, neither of whom have many prior credits to their names, both do a great job portraying the insecurity and confusion that their characters experience. While I don’t think the two always have the best on-screen chemistry, and their romantic relationship doesn’t quite feel right as a result, the individual performances are excellent, and their friendship feels realistic. Eva Longoria is also good as Dante’s mother Soledad, and Eugenio Derbez was a real standout for me as Jaime, Aristotle’s father. Initially shown to be stoic and standoffish, Jaime really comes around in the end to support his son, with a conversation between the two of them on a road trip being my favorite scene in the film.
Overall, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a solid film with competent production, good performances, and a great script. There isn’t anything groundbreaking here but there doesn’t necessarily need to be either — in a world in which the vast majority of relationships shown in film are heterosexual, solid films like this with great LGBTQIA+ representation are still worth checking out and supporting.
Rating: Liked It
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is currently playing in theaters
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