‘Tremors’ Trailer: Jayro Bustamante Returns With Drama Centered on Gay Man Caught Between Faith and Family

Ryan Lattanzio

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Guatemalan writer-director Jayro Bustamante broke out with the 2015 drama “Ixcanul,” set on an active volcano. Here he returns with “Tremors” (the English translation of “Temblores”), equally volcanic in its emotional insight about an affluent, religious family torn asunder after patriarch Pablo (Juan Pablo Olyslager) reveals that he’s been in a relationship with another man. Below, check out the first trailer.

Here’s the rest of the synopsis of the film, which is being distributed by Film Movement in the U.S. on November 29:

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“What follows is a tale of passionate romance, immense inner conflict, and devastating tragedy. Separated from his wife, his children, and his life of Evangelical tradition, Pablo initially finds a sense of freedom. But how long can he sustain this new and exciting life when he’s fired from his job and his religious creed begins to take over again? Filled with gorgeous and breathtaking cinematography, Olyslager leads a brilliant cast in this Berlinale standout from prominent award-winning auteur Jayro Bustamante that is sure to shake you to your core by its final frames.”

“Tremors” first premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier in 2019 and will be making its New York premiere at NewFest, New York’s annual LGBTQ film festival, later this month.

In a rave review out of the Berlinale, IndieWire critic David Ehrlich wrote of “Tremors”: “There are any number of movies about gay men trying to liberate themselves from the long shadow of heteronormative oppression — a regrettably, enduringly relevant premise — but few have been told with the extraordinary nuance or compassion of Jayro Bustamante’s ‘Tremors.’ The Guatemalan drama begins where a previous iteration of this drama might have left off. Rather than argue for the hero’s basic humanity (which the film’s contemporary liberal audiences wouldn’t dare to dispute, and its devoutly retrograde antagonists wouldn’t deign to accept), Bustamante moves the goalposts forward by reframing the stakes. There’s never any doubt that Pablo has the right to be with the man he loves, the question is whether the happiness that would bring is worth the hurt that would come with it. And it’s a question that only Pablo can answer for himself.”

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