Mexican filmmaker Julián Hernandéz has become known for provocative dramas that bring an artful eye to the erotic, capturing queer life and love in all its beauty—and occasional brutality.
The prolific writer-director is a mainstay of the international film festival scene, having twice won the Teddy Award—the prestigious Berlinale’s top prize for LGBTQ+ stories—for A Thousand Clouds Of Peace (2003) and Raging Sun, Raging Sky (2009).
Last year, Hernandéz brought his previous feature The Trace Of Your Lips to San Francisco’s historic Frameline festival, and the steamy drama was clearly such a hit with audiences that the fest was eager to have him back again for whatever was next…
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Making its U.S. premiere at Frameline48 this weekend, Demons At Dawn—despite a title that sounds like a horror movie—showcases a decidedly sweeter, gentler, more romantic side of the director.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s still plenty sexy: One of it’s lead characters is a go-go dancer at a gay bar, and he’s not the only one showing some skin! But there’s a real tenderness and vulnerability in the way the film depicts the head-rush of new love.
Set in present-day Mexico City, our eyes into the capital’s vibrant queer scene is Orlando (Luis Vegas, who also appeared in The Trace Of Your Lips) a young performer itching to move out of his family home. He has big dreams of becoming a professional dancer, but for now is making ends meet as a go-go at a nightclub.
In a chance encounter, he meets Marco (newcomer Axel Shuarma), a driven medical student on track to soon graduate from medical school. Their worlds couldn’t be more different, but they each feel something undeniable that pulls them both closer and closer.
There’s undeniably love between the two—the kind that has the power to swallow you whole—and they dive in head-first, but an unexpected shift forces both to reconsider what the relationship means to them. This may be destiny, but what do you do when destiny gets in the way of your dreams?
Hernandéz brings his usual visual flair to Demons At Dawn bringing just as much life to the quiet, intimate moments between the lovers as he does to the scenes out at the club, awash in neon lights and thumping with the beat of pop music.
Dubbed by Frameline as “Mexico’s preeminent queer cinema provocateur,” the bold and beautiful work of Julián Hernadéz is not to be missed. And if you’re in the Bay Area, you’re in luck, because Demons At Dawn screens at the festival on Sunday, June 23 with the director and star Luis Vegas in attendance. Tickets and more information available here.
With more festival dates and (hopefully!) a theatrical or streaming release date coming soon, check out the electrifying new trailer for the film below:
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