Glue (2006)

The teenage years may be a self-conscious, insecure phase, but Glue, the debut feature film by Alexis Dos Santos, is a confident little film and a poised first feature from a young director.

The film follows two sixteen-year-old boys, Lucas and Nacho, as they wander around their desolate hometown in the Patagonian region of Argentina. It’s summertime and the boys have nothing to do besides ride bikes, write songs for their band and fantasize about getting laid. They meet Andrea, a girl their age, and together they explore their blossoming sexuality. The three young actors (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Nahuel Viale and Inés Efron) all contribute courageous performances as we spy on them at their most vulnerable and intimate. The characters are displayed as unsentimentally as possible like when Nacho tries vainly to relieve his frustration by masturbating and Andrea aching for a boy to French kiss has to instead settle for her glass shower door.

At times rowdily chasing after the protagonists, Dos Santos’ handheld digital camera occasionally manages to settle down long enough to capture some beautiful images. The digital film soaks up the sun drenched colors of the scorching afternoons as well as the cool blue light as Lucas’ family struggles to set up a tent on a camping trip before night falls.

The improvised script gets a little awkward by the end, but let’s face it, teenagers are awkward creatures. They want to be adults, have responsibility, and most of all, sex, but are unsure how to achieve those goals. Glue, portrays this uncomfortable, angst-ridden age so palpably you can practically smell the sweaty hormones waft from the screen.