19-year-old José and his doting mother lead impoverished, working class lives in Guatemala City. They keep themselves afloat with small jobs, selling sandwiches illegally and dashing around the city delivering food to drivers. While his mother devotes all her free time to church, José spends his arranging secret meetings on dating apps. That is, until he meets Luis, a construction worker who makes him question and self-reflect on the quiet suffering he has been enduring all his life.
As José discovers a world far more tender and passionate than the culture of violence, sexism and homophobia he has been brought up in, José carefully portrays the clash between a new generation’s evolving attitudes and the traditional culture and beliefs so deeply embedded in Guatemalan society.
LI CHENG
Li Cheng is a Chinese-born director. He found international acclaim with his feature film debut Joshua Tree (2014). His second feature, José (2018), had its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Queer Lion Award.
JOSE
EAST COAST PREMIERE
Directed by Li Cheng
Country: Guatemala
Language: Spanish
Subtitles: English
Original Title: José
Running Time: 85min
Film Year: Color
Category: HBO Ibero-American Feature Film Award
