Don't Tell Anyone

Francisco J. Lombardi's 1998 Peruvian film is adapted from Jaime Bayly's novel. Joaquin, from the upper class of Lima, has been under pressure about his sexuality since childhood; his father expects a display of masculinity and the church and the school work in the same direction. The film shows how that pressure is internalised. As an adult Joaquin continues to hide, turns to drugs and splits his relationships in two. The narrative does not make a hero of him; the harm he causes is also part of the account. The film provoked debate on release in Peru and was among the first domestic productions to treat homosexuality this openly in mainstream cinema. Santiago Magill leads. The telling is realistic and the period design detailed. Who it's for: those curious about queer narratives in Latin American cinema. Who it's not for: viewers who want to avoid drug use and self-destruction; the film holds on both.