Arriving via Digital Download on July 22nd 2019 comes Writer / Director John Butler’s comedy drama PAPI CHULO.
For gay LA weatherman Sean (Matt Bomer), a sudden breakdown during a crucial weather report prompts the network he works for to suspend him and request that he takes some time off. Sean is not in the best of shape, in the midst of recovering from the breakdown of a civil partnership with his partner Carlos.
When a plant is removed from the patio deck of his luxurious mountainside house, Sean needs to get some paint to redecorate (and perhaps redefine) his lifestyle, but against the advice of the hardware store assistant doesn’t get enough. Before long the deck looks a little off colour and odd due to the little amount he uses.
He notices some Mexican migrant workers outside the hardware store and decides to take on one of them, Ernesto (Alejandro Patiño) to paint the deck. Ernesto doesn’t speak any Spanish, so the language barrier is already a hindrance to Sean’s needs in his house. Before long, his own loneliness and desire to have somebody new in his life, coupled with the ongoing work crisis he is dealing with, begins to conflict with the issues and delayed reaction to his predicament….
Although the film is very slight at its’ core, it does remind one of Sofia Coppola’s LOST IN TRANSLATION in terms of dealing with a protagonist who has got a desire to escape from reality and who gains companionship in an different way. Bomer encapsulates the living, breathing crisis of a man which all can identify with regardless of their sexual orientation. It’s a sensitively-handled and tender piece with a touch of a culture clash drama about it.
There are some beautifully shot backdrops of Los Angeles and the locations are used sparingly, with the right balance of upper and working class environments. Characters are well-rounded, without being cliched in their delivery, capturing the essence of Sean’s situation. It’s a film well worth seeking out, although it might be hindered by its’ purely Digital Download release, when it could benefit from a limited Theatrical Release.
