Plan B

In Marco Berger's quietly paced drama Plan B, the discovery and acceptance of one's sexuality is lovingly realized in a sweet and honest package.

Bruno (Manuel Vignau) is a long, wavy-haired slacker recently dumped by his girlfriend Laura (Mercedes Quinteros) for the good-looking Gael Garcia Bernal look-a-like Pablo (Lucas Ferraro). Even though they continue sleeping together, Laura makes it clear they will never get back together. Upset by the loss, Bruno decides to befriend Pablo, hoping to somehow ruin his relationship with Laura either by introducing him to another girl, or by seducing him himself.

Surprise comes in a friendship neither man expected, and soon enough, long-buried feelings begin to rise to the surface. What started as a game of vengeance for Bruno, soon turns into a life-altering awareness he didn't expect.

Plan B is a tranquil film that finds profound meaning in the mundane of everyday life. It takes the time to focus on the quiet moments of self-reflection; those blocks of time when we find ourselves staring at a wall or absently playing in the dirt while our minds race with feelings we don't know how to deal with.

As Bruno, Vignau plays his character at first as a callous cad, but as the story progresses, we see the layers peel off of him like an onion. His confusion over what he is beginning to feel for another man infect every minute of his day and it is in those minutes that a fully realized character is born.

Ferraro's Pablo is also a deeply layered character; a man content with his life and his relationship, only to be forced to deal with the feelings of another person, and the conflicting emotions they engender.

This is a story that avoids gay film stereotypes, making the film more honest and accessible. The men aren't perfect specimens and the problems they have are all the more recognizable because of it. These are real men with genuine struggles that they deal with in a sincere, if not, flawed way.

While some may find Berger's subtle storytelling too leisurely, others will find it entirely absorbing. Plan B is an almost silent study of human sentiment that plays as both drama and emotional thriller. And when the credits roll, it's a film that is hard to shake off.

In Spanish with English Subtitles.