Set in the last part of the 19th century when homosexuality was treated as a crime in Mexico and could lead to stiff jail sentences, David Pablos’ DANCE OF THE 41 (2020, Mexico) deals with the double life of President’s ambitious son-in-law who takes on a male lover. As rumours of his sexual orientation begin to surface, his marriage and career are threatened – a crisis that he tries hard to negotiate…
Based on a society scandal that rocked Mexico in 1901 when members of an exclusive gay club in Mexico City were arrested at a clandestine party that included the protagonist, the film not only examines the conflicts that defined the ruthless and conservative Mexican society of that time, but also probes the psychology of the protagonist’s wife as she deals with a failed marriage for no fault of hers and her internal conflicts related to her Indian mother whom she cannot acknowledge for socio-political reasons.
Handled with restrain and displaying some remarkable performances by its central characters, DANCE OF THE 41 is streaming on Netflix.
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