From his first short film, El Secreto del Dragón Escondido (2009) (The Secret of the Hidden Dragon) Berger has explored the difficulties of coming out and living as gay in Latin American society. In his last film Los Amantes Astronautas (The Astronaut Lovers), he reveals how things have changed, especially among the younger generations. Born in 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he is also known for The Blonde One (2019) and Taikwpondo (2016). He has had over 21 nominations and seven wins.
“I know how this ends… no one forces anyone to go on to their rocket… no astronaut would reject a chance to see the stars.”
Javier Orán as Pedro
Pedro (the stunning & charismatic Javier Orán) who is openly gay, has been living in Spain. He returns to Argentina on vacation to stay with a cousin in Villa Gesell, a beach resort on the Atlantic coast. There, he bumps into Maxi (Lautaro Bettoni), a straight childhood buddy whom he knew when he was still in primary school,where they had been close friends.
Maxi, cut up that he has been left by his girlfriend Sabrina (Mora Arenillas) asks Pedro to help him make her jealous by pretending they have become a couple. Expecting their friends not to believe them, they are surprised when they are more than supportive, even encouraging their ‘relationship’. Sabrina appears not to care, so that seems to misfire. But the game they play opens up a series of unexpected emotions, especially in Maxi, who finds himself confused as he questions his own feelings and his own sexuality.
Berger has taken a risk in that the film is almost entirely taken up with the suggestive and bawdy sexual banter between Pedro and Maxi. They are playing in circles, that get ever tighter and take Maxi into realms he had not experienced before. Orán and Bettoni are superb as Pedro and Maxi, holding the film together. There is not much plot to speak of, it is predictable, and one could wonder whether it would have worked without their magnetic and compulsive performances. Their chemistry is palpable and right from the start, the connection between them is dynamite. This effect is magnified by the decision to shoot large portions of the film in close-up emphasizing the intimacy and picking up the minute details.
Javier Orán and Lautaro Bettoni
The jokes, wit and humour come across as so spontaneous that it is hard to image it was not entirely improvised. It almost exclusively carries the story forward. Yet, at one point Maxi’s extremely inquisitive personal and intimate ‘jokey’ attitude becomes annoying even to Pedro who has been powerfully attracted to his childhood friend and wary of being hurt. Maxi is almost maniacal at times, possibly as a reaction to feeling that he is also falling and cannot stop it happening as the innuendos become more serious.
The film has Eric Rohmer’s influence all over it, one big achievement is that, for the first time, Berger has obtained distribution for The Astronaut Lovers in Italy. It talks about the maturity of the film and also about changing attitudes in a very Catholic country.
The Astronaut Lover (2024) was shown at the 2025 BFI Flare Festival on March 27th and 28th.
Writer/Director: Marco Berger/ Production: Ángeles Hernández , Alberto Maslíah ands David Matamoros/ DOP: Mariano De Rosa / Editor: Marco Berger / Sound Designer: Sergio Cabrera / Sound Foley: Violeta Castillo and Antonella Luz Criscione / Origin Music: Pedro Irusta
Cast: Pedro: Javier Orán/ Maxi: Lautaro Bettoni / Sabrina: Mora Arenillas / Lucas: Iván Maslíah / Juan: Agustín Frías Silva/ Marty: Melina Furgiuela/ Vero: Camila del Campo / Fede: Fernando Malfitano.
