Gabriel Faryas as Matías & Cirillo Luna as Rafael
Nominated at the 2025 Berlinale for a Teddy, the 2025 San Sebastian International Film Festival for Best Latin American Film, NIGHT STAGE also swept the boards at the 2025 Rio De Janeiro International Film Festival, winning Best Brazilian Film, Best Actor for Gabriel Faryas in the role of Matías, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography for Luciana Baseggio and Nominee for Best Film, No mean feat. It also picked up the Best Screenplay Award at the QueerCine Mad, the Madrid International LGBTIAQ+ Film Festival for the writer directors as well as their co-screenwriters Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese.
Matías (Gabriel Faryas) a young ambitious actor, and Rafael (Cirillo Luna) a politician who is standing for mayor, meet through a gay dating app. They are so deeply attracted to one another that the relationship develops into an intense and dangerous liaison that threatens their public lives and their deepest ambitions. Overcome with uncontrollable desire, what starts out as a power game, starts to become a deep addicted fetish for ‘dogging‘ (the euphoria of sex in public places). That some of the scenes were shot in Redencão Park, the main park in Porto Alegre, emphasizes this.
Public park sex may not be new, being prevalent in every single city in the world, but even there, you find an element of discretion, but Matías and Rafael, exhilarated by the experience, take the challenge to extremes. There are graphic sex scenes but thanks to the skill and sensitivity of cinematographer Luciana Baseggio, they avoid being gratuitous and remain artistic. The powerful chemistry between the two leads soon persuades us to believe in their fateful relationship.
The seductive Matías, may come across as younger than his years, displaying an innocent and gentle demeanour, but it hides as a ruthless streak that he expresses when he pursues a role in an up-and-coming TV series, outsmarting his roommate and friend Fabio (Henrique Barreira) in an act of disloyalty. A gesture that will back-fire as Fabio becomes their avenging angel opening the doors to hell as he is driven by envy of Matías natural abilities and powerful charisma.
Meanwhile Rafael has become the front runner for Mayor in the town’s elections. An election he wins, but, unable to cut himself off from the toxic relationship he has developed with Matías, he remains distracted. We are on edge the whole time as they increase the risk level of their encounters, with the constant risk of being discovered and exposed- Is it motivated by an urge for exhibitionism or is down to the thrill of an addiction to danger as they stretch themselves to the limit?
NIGHT STAGE is set in Porto Alegre, in the south of Brazil, in the heart of gaúcho (cowboy) territory. Rio Grande do Sul is a Brazilian state that is more traditional and conservative than the states further north, like São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Here the people tend to be right-wing supporters which can be reflected in racism and homophobia. So, the film has a role to play as a subtle comment on politics, not only on sex, and how people feel encaged and repressed by society’s mores and how they respond. Both Matias and Rafael lead different lives in the daytime, Rafael on his political stage and Matías on his theatrical stage, but at night they seek a very different risky stage on which to perform.
Camilo (a convincing Ivo Müller) is Rafael’s advisor and protector, but will his efforts be in vain as he tries to stop Rafael destroying his successful career as he tries to warn off Matías: -
“It’s not a problem that you are gay, but sex in public is another matter.”
NIGHT STAGE is the third film of duo directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon. It follows ‘Seashore’ (Beira-mar-2015) in which two lads on the edge of manhood explore their relationship, and ‘Hard Paint’ (Tinta Bruta-2018) that focusses on a young man who is so socially repressed he is only able to be himself during chatroom performances, when he strips, smears neon paint over his body and dances as thousands watch on his webcam.
Tinta Bruta (2018)- Hard Paint
The Directors feel that NIGHT STAGE is an evolution in their artistic journey following on from their earlier works: -
“… while it carries forward the emotional elements of our previous works, such as Hard Paint, it ventures into bolder more playful territory in its exploration of desire and genre. Inspired by the films of Brian De Palma, Alfred Hitchcock, and Paul Verhoeven.”
Previously the directors have said that the city of Porto Alegre that they both love, is like a 4th protagonist in their films. In NIGHT STAGE that remains true here yet again, as we are immersed in the city landscape and it remains integral to the storyline.
“Excesses is a part of everywhere – there [are] queer scenes, [but] the state of the traditional and conservative being misogynistic and homophobic, so it is a struggle…. In a way it’s very personal to what we feel being wrong and queer. Many countries are becoming more conservative, so for us it was very ‘in the moment’,& people can identify with that anger in a positive way- by not accepting being a victim. We were fuelled by anger and despair and the direction of our country and other countries as well.”
Henrique Barreira as Fabio
Even as the threat of annihilation hangs over them, they still dream of the future: -
“Think of what is to come!”
“I’ve been building up to this moment, when I become mayor!”
There is a prophetic phrase in the play in which Matías performs on stage: -
“He fell, as an owl cuts through the skies,
with my sweaty body and my face stained with blood.”
NIGHT STAGE (2025) WILL BE IN CINEMAS FROM APRIL 13TH 2026
And ON DEMAND from May 11th 2026.
CREDITS: -
Writer/ Directors: Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon / DOP: Luciana Baseggio/ Editor: Germano de Oliveira / Producers: Filipe Matzembacher, Marcio Reolon, Jéssica Luz and Paola Wink/ Composers: Arthur Decloedt, Thiago Pethit, and Charles Tixier/ Sound Designer: Tiago Bello/ Sound Mixer: Marcos Lopes/
CAST: -
Matías: Gabriel Faryas/ Rafael: Cirillo Luna/ Fabio: Henrique Barreira/ Camilo: Ivo Müller/ Sofía Alcántara: Gabriela Grecco/ Pamela@ Kayua Rodrigues/ Dr . Otavio: Antônio Szamansky.
