Time is fluid in Lucio Castro's debut feature, a dreamy romance about a Grindr hookup that may never end.
What place does romance have in the age of online dating and casual hook-up culture? The next one-night stand could be the love of your life, or you could never see them again. When you can order the next pretty thing to your door, is it possible to make a real connection? In Argentinian filmmaker Lucio Castro’s stunning feature filmmaking debut, “End of the Century” (the Spanish title is “Fin de Siglo”), two men meet-cute from a balcony and soon discover a mysterious familiarity.
The first official trailer for the film gives a hint at the fluid way Castro plays with time, luxuriating in the luscious bonds of new connection — one so deep it may as well be centuries old.
Per the official synopsis: “In his alluring debut feature, Lucio Castro offers both a sun-soaked European travelogue and an epic, decades-spanning romance. When Ocho (Juan Barberini), a 30-something Argentine poet on vacation in Barcelona, spots Javi (Ramón Pujol), a Spaniard from Berlin, from the balcony of his Airbnb, the attraction is subtle but persistent. After a missed connection on the beach, a third chance encounter escalates to a seemingly random hookup. But are these two merely beautiful strangers in a foreign city or are they part of each other’s histories—and maybe even their destinies?”
Barberini has a slew of indie film credits to his name in his home country of Argentina, and most recently was seen in 2018’s art world comedy “Penelope.” His performance in “End of the Century” is sure to launch him into a new phase of his career. Hailing from Barcelona, Pujol is well-known to Spanish audiences from his many TV roles, which include many-episode stints on “Com si fos ahir,” “Ciega a citas,” and “Doctor Mateo.”
“End of the Century” also features Argentinian actress Mia Maestro in a small but pivotal supporting role. After her international breakout role in 2004’s “The Motorcycle Diaries,” Maestro has appeared on American screens in “Alias, “Scandal,” and a pair of “Twilight” movies.
The film premiered at MoMA’s New Directors/New Films, and went on to play the Provincetown Film Festival, San Francisco’s Frameline Film Festival, and will play Outfest Los Angeles this week.
Cinema Guild will open “End of the Century” on August 16 at New York’s IFC Center, and September 20 at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles. Check out the gorgeous trailer below.
