The “fake boyfriend” is a well worn rom-com trope that still works, just see the success of films like Single All The Way, The Proposal, Anyone But You and about one in every three Hallmark Christmas movies. But director Marco Berger deploys the premise in his own laid-back, voyeuristic style for The Astronaut Lovers (Los amantes astronautas), an earnest drama about two men who embark on a pretend relationship that questions their views on sexuality.
Pedro (Javier Orán) returns to Buenos Aires to spend a holiday with his cousin and a group of his friends, including Maxi (Lautaro Bettoni) who he hasn’t seen since his school days. As they catch up there is a flirty energy between gay Pedro and the straight, recently single, Maxi, and their friends all notice the instant connection between the two. Maxi has no filter and peppers Pedro with playful questions, which Pedro is happy to go along with. After losing a bet to Pedro, Maxi’s punishment is to tell their friends they are a couple for the last three days of their stay and they’re surprised to discover everyone is not only supportive, but encouraging of their faux-mance.
In contrast to his last feature, Horseplay, which stepped back and looked at a group of young men as a pack, in The Astronaut Lovers Marco Berger gets close to Pedro and Maxi and rarely has room for anyone else. Apart from the ever-present “will they / won’t they” tension, Berger explores the contemporary landscape of sexuality where not everything is as binary as gay or straight. In a series of chats on the beach, the sofa, in cars and just walking around the two men engage in a constant push and pull of endless innuendo. They both have sex on their brain like horny teenagers.
The film’s title is part of a running metaphor in their conversations about sex and outer space that is a little too laboured (full of phallic rockets, explosions and “milky” ways) but is saved by the warmth of the two actors. This is a hangout movie made up of one long, intense, sexy discussion spaced out over three days. Even when scenes build to a climax, Berger refuses to end things with a definitive full stop, merely a dangling question mark – this is cinematic edging.
The Astronaut Lovers hinges on the two charismatic lead performances by Orán and Bettoni. They are an instantly likeable duo, quickly winning the audience’s trust and support. Pedro is clearly attracted to the handsome Maxi, and is more than happy to flirt, but is clear about having to draw a line between their heated banter and anything more. Maxi meanwhile is obviously enjoying this game of sexual chicken, but is he just a “cock-tease” or is there something more?
Berger resists the urge to build to obvious moments, or let the score telegraph emotions, he leaves it all to the performers who make this film a success. They allow The Astronaut Lovers to exist in a liminal moment in both their lives, while giving us hope for their futures. As Maxi says, “Nothing breaks. Everything transforms.”
The Astronaut Lovers (Los amantes astronautas) receives its Australian Premiere as the Opening Night Film at the 11th Queer Screen Film Fest in Sydney on Wednesday, August 28th, 2024. Go to queerscreen.org.au for more details and to purchase tickets.
Maxi seems way more than a cock tease. Yes, he enjoys bumping up against Pedro, but he clearly wants to keep Pedro close in a broader sense. Seems like love.