BEAR CUB
Directed by Miguel Albaladejo
Spain, 2004, 35mm, 100 minutes
(Spanish with English subtitles)

Past Screening

SHOWTIMES:
THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 3, 2005
9:30PM
Main Art Theatre, Royal Oak

Bear Cub

A warm, funny, sexy and intelligent story of a bearish gay man raising his sister’s son.

Snuggle up to one of the the first feature-length narratives to feature “bears” and their community, many of them quite “woofy.” Meet Pedro (José Luis García-Pérez) a handsome gay dentist who is unabashedly and fondly known as a “bear” — a gay male who is big and hairy. His free-spirited sister decides to take a vacation in India with her shady boyfriend leaving her 9-year-old son, Bernardo (David Castillo), in his care. Pedro modifies his behavior by hiding all his porn, scolding his friends for rolling “joints’ in the house, and abstains from his usual steamy, sexual hook-ups. But Bernardo is quite mature for his age and loves his uncle unconditionally.

When mom is unexpectantly detained in India, Pedro is faced with the possibility of raising Bernardo as his own. And to further complicate matters, Dona Teresa (Empar Ferrer), previously exiled from all of our beloved characters’ lives, wants custody of the young boy and will do anything to achieve her goals. There is amazing chemistry between the charming Pérez and shining youngster Castillo. They form a new “family” unit that builds a wonderful emotional foundation for the film. Plus, Spanish director Miguel Albaladejo, isn’t shy in showing frisky sex, deep intimacy and complicated human relationships.

The film is never overly sentimental or sensational but is an amusingly touching film about reinterpreting the idea of “family” whether you are gay, straight, bear or non-bear.