Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Sublime is gay drama about teenage love and the fear of rejection.
Manuel (Martín Miller) is sixteen and in love with his best friend, Felipe (Teo Inama Chiabrando). Although Manuel and Felipe share intimate details of their lives, including losing their virginity, Manuel can’t bring himself to tell Felipe how he feels about him. Instead, he concentrates on playing bass for the band he and Felipe are in and half-heartedly dating Azul (Azul Mazzeo). But soon the pain of unrequited love becomes too much, and the people around him begin to notice that something is wrong.
Some Thoughts:
Sublime gets so much right about being sixteen and gay. There’s the angst, that feeling as if you don’t belong, and sexual confusion.
Miller shines as Manuel, who can’t express his feelings and wanders through the film as if lost. Some of this he seems to get from his father (Javier Drolas), who can’t to open up when Manuel asks about why he and his mother (Carolina Tejeda) argue. Although his mother isn’t much better, he seems more connected to his father due to their shared interest in music.
Although Sublime does a good job showing the depth of Manuel’s relationship with Filipe, it fails to do the same with his family. Because of this, the story often feels as if it’s stuck on the same chord. Most of the film is Manuel mooning for Filipe and doing nothing about it.
The only thing Manuel seems to understand is music, which is his go-to. His relationship with Felipe is well done and feels honest but doesn’t give enough depth to hold the film together.
The Final Verdict:
Although the acting and directing are good, Sublime doesn’t have enough substance to hold your attention.
