Socrates is very powerful film that is more than just a movie about a homosexual teen. The powerful display of hardships of fighting to survive, abandonment and being alone is so rich that it is consistently displayed throughout the course of the film.
After the death of his mother, Socrates (Christian Malheiros), a minor teen, struggles with the hardships of being alone and trying to find a job to keep a roof over his head. From the very first scene of Alexandre Moratto‘s film, the storytelling instantly draws you in.
I felt that each topic was tackled and showcased amazingly, and it is so realistic and believable. Just seeing the journey of an under eighteen year old teen trying to find work, getting pushed back because of his age, trying to keep out of his life an abusive so-called Christian faith father that isn’t accepting of his sexuality, turning to alcoholism to numb the pain, trying to survive on his own with almost no help and salvaging food from off the street is hard to watch.
You can’t help but feel for the struggling teen and think that this actually exists in the world today, that this is the lifestyle for some people. Especially in countries where there is not many job opportunities, no strong welfare systems nor a steady income available. The desperation and measures that are taken to survive is just hard to stomach.
The cast did an amazing job of driving the film to its overall conclusion, particularly Christian Malheiros’ performance as Socrates, as his character execution/display was exceptional. Every detail from Malheiros’ facial expressions to expressing his emotions hit the nail on the head and really did the character justice.
I did however feel the resolution of the film could have been explained better, or if not, the film could have provided a better conclusion to Socrates’ journey. I did truthfully have a hard time accepting the ending, mainly because I just felt after such a rich and powerful journey, it could have ended on a much higher note and offered a better resolution to Socrates.
Apart from my need for a better ending, Socrates is a perfectly orchestrated film that tackles the hard topics of survival and rejection for being homosexual incredibly well. The superb acting and fluent storytelling makes following the film easy and engaging. Everything about Socrates is worthy of its nominations and awards, winning over a dozen awards at international film festivals including the Thessaloniki, Mannheim-Heidelberg, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Woodstock, and Uruguay Film Festivals. In March 2019, the film won the prestigious Jordan Ressler First Feature Award at the Miami Film Festival.
Socrates will be screening in Melbourne this month as part of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival.
For more information and ticketing, visit: https://mqff.com.au