Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Peyote is about two young men who meet and decide to go on a road trip in search of peyote.
Pablo (Joe Diazzi) is a shy teenager hanging out in a park filming with a handheld camera. Marco (Carlos Luque), who is slightly older, starts talking to him and they decide to have lunch. When Marco stiffs him for the bill by leaving, Pablo gets upset and pays, then runs after him. Marco pays him back and explains that he should have walked out with him.
Despite Marco’s strange behavior, Pablo takes an interest in Marco. They continue talking, and Marco asks Pablo if he’d ever taken peyote. When Pablo says that he hasn’t and asks where they can buy some, Marco tells him that it’s best if you discover it on your own and that he knows where they can find some. What follows is a gay road trip movie about friendship and self-discovery.
Some Thoughts:
Although I didn’t care for Peyote, the acting is decent and it’s visually appealing. Because of that, it does make for a slightly decent travel movie. What brings this it down is Marco’s poor treatment of Pablo and the lack of gradual character development. Marco is rude to Pablo throughout the film and Pablo just takes it. I would have enjoyed a huge confrontation about it, but that never happens. At least not in a fulfilling way.
Diazzi and Luque have chemistry, but it’s not played out enough. Marco and Pablo spend much of the movie discovering each other, and the story lacks the necessary scenes to make the viewer eager for a romantic interlude. It does comes close a few times, but it never quite gets there. And although Peyote isn’t necessarily a romance, Pablo and Marco do develop feelings for each other that aren’t played up enough to give the ending the emotional impact it’s looking for. It’s a shame because Diazzi and Luque have what it takes to make it work.
There are some beautiful shots along with the usual antics, so the travel part of the story works. But even with that, the viewer never feels connected enough to the characters to redeem the film.
The Final Verdict:
Peyote is road trip movie that suffers from lack of character development. While the camerawork and acting are decent, they’re not enough to make up for what’s missing. If you’re looking for a good gay road trip movie, you might want to see The Man with the Answers.