Regular 1st-Feature Admission

Images and the men speak for themselves in this lively, deceptive and devastating exploration of machismo in Costa Rican society, written and directed by Valéria Sarmiento (see Our Marriage, October 3). The difference between macho conventions and masculinity, like the gulf between love and romance, develops gradually, “like a realization,” as one critic noted, as we watch a parade of virgin brides and prostitutes emanating from young boys' minds; and the courting rituals--debutante parties, balcony serenades, elaborate church weddings--that proceed from segregated Catholic school upbringings. “Sarmiento told her subjects, mostly men, that she was making a documentary about Latin American romanticism, not machismo. Their candid responses strip the bachelors bare” (Film Comment). Selected for the Margaret Mead Film Festival ‘85.