Queer Coming Of Age Romance That Prioritizes the Reality of Expectations (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - review)

 

It has been a great few weeks with the amount of queer content lately and with yet another adaptation based on a best-selling novel that highlights not only a queer coming-of-age story but also a sense of representation of Mexican families in America in the 80s. Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe is a different take on the genre as it provides another point of view on discovering oneself, especially at a time when the AIDs epidemic affected the perspective on being homosexual and being out.

Despite the title of the film and the book of the same featuring both Aristotle and Dante, this is pretty much Ari's story. We are very much used to seeing the protagonist falling for the guy he thought was straight but was not. This time around, we finally get to see what goes on in the head of the other guy. Ari grew up with a family that kept things to themselves, and barely showed affection for one another. When he meets Dante, he is introduced to a world of affection between friends and family that always seems too forward. Due to these limitations, Ari also grew up cold and kept the world at arm's length until Dante.

Unable to fathom the change within him - whether he is near Dante or not - Ari goes through the motions of a teen who is afraid to say or feel, in general. It is a true and vulnerable take on what most men have faced, whether queer or not. Conditioned to be strong and expecting them to handle the weight of the world on their shoulder better than others, Ari is an example of how men don't have to do that all the time. They are allowed to let go.

First and foremost, it is indeed a story of a friendship, looking past the stereotypical expectations to make a connection. It is rare to have someone like Ari who saw and appreciated what Dante was. Their dynamic portrays how two people can perceive each other based on what they see, but that's not the entire truth.  Dante is eccentric, loving and a brave individual and Ari cannot help but also want to be like him while Dante deems Ari as more 'normal' and is more adamant with the choices he makes. As the film progresses, they learn that they are both more than just what they see on the surface.

Other than their portrayals, their representation as two different kinds of Mexican families also is such a feat in a coming-of-age tale. Their conflicting upbringings are universally relatable for there are many ethnicities that favor tradition rather than self-interest. These are the only parts of both Ari and Dante that defer but it also brings them closer to accepting each other and themselves. This especially helps Ari with learning about his sexuality, not denying his pull towards Dante and the dynamic of his family, and learning he might be expecting too much from them as well.

The film does cut a few plot points from the film, mostly within Ari and Dante's friendship such as Ari's fixation on never remembering how he saved Dante nor to discuss about sex or masturbating via letter. A lot of their frustrating back and forth was cut from the film, and it might improve Ari to a certain degree. But what made Ari compelling in the book was that he was always against everything, and it was genuinely hard to understand him, even as a reader. The film made him more likable and the ideal bisexual character (that is if he is bisexual because the book and the film do not reference his orientation).

I thought that Dante would be more fleshed out than the book but that is probably one of the standard things they kept unchanged from the book. I was personally hoping they would not change but rather expand more on it. The same was expected with the supporting characters, such as their respective parents and Ari's school acquaintances. If it was a TV show, the book would be stretched so thin that it would almost seem like milking a cow that had only so much to give. 

Aristotle and Dante is a specific character study that is interesting to observe but despite its many positives as part of the roster of great queer romance films, Aristotle and Dante is not the best of the bunch. Apart from its visuals, faith in the source material, and the endearing performances of the protagonists, the expectation of the film being also a family affair with the supporting characters could have been improved from page to screen was unfortunately wasted. Without a critical mind or as a viewer who has no prior connection to the source material could feel differently and perceive it as the charming and relatable tale it is.