Cachorro
Encyclopedia
Cachorro is a 2004
Spanish
gay
-themed (in particular, the gay Bear community
) drama film
written and directed by Miguel Albaladejo
. It is about a bearish gay man who ends up looking after his nephew while his sister goes away to India
and in turn makes him develop a fatherly bond with the boy as well as forcing him to alter his lifestyle. The Spanish word cachorro describes any young, furry animal such as a cub or puppy.
, Pedro, a gay
dentist
, has agreed to look after his nine-year-old nephew
, Bernardo. Bernardo’s father
is dead and the boy and his uncle
have not had much to do with each other until now. Originally, the boy was to stay with Pedro for a few days, but six weeks have passed with no word from the boy's mother.
His nephew’s presence forces Pedro to take a break from his otherwise extremely active sex life. In fact, Pedro was beginning to tired of the superficial nature of his many relationships. Even his boyfriend, Manuel, who suddenly pays Pedro a visit and who shares his penchant for leather and latex, is not really the man with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life, despite of the fact that they express love for each other. Then, all at once, an entirely different set of problems crops up. For one there’s Doña Teresa, Bernardo’s paternal grandmother, who one day darkens Pedro’s door and puts the emotional screws on him. Worse still, however, is the news that Bernardo’s mother has been arrested in India for drug smuggling. She may be facing a prison sentence of thirty years, so the embassy informs Pedro. Pedro is just as shocked at this news as Bernardo; nevertheless, he realizes that he is now responsible for the boy. Without further ado, he decides to rise to the challenge this represents. There suddenly seem to be so many things to organize – such as repairs to the house and finding a school for the boy – that Pedro hardly misses the life he used to lead. Gradually, however, he succeeds in rekindling his sex life – albeit in a less excessive form.
Then Doña Teresa puts in another appearance, this time demanding custody of Bernardo. But Pedro is ready to fight for the boy’s welfare. After illegally obtaining his medical history (revealing that Pedro is HIV positive) and hiring a private investigator
who obtains pictures of Pedro on a night out in a gay club, and threatening him with both, he ends up letting her put Bernardo in a boarding school
. When his grandmother goes to visit him later on revealing Pedro's HIV (despite their previous agreement), Bernardo reveals that he already knew from his mother, and that his mother was HIV positive as well. She then reveals that he is in the hospital with pneumonia
. He then tells her that he hates her and that it's her fault that he's currently in the hospital, because he wasn't there to care for him.
Three years pass, letters go back and forth between Bernardo, Pedro, his mother and his grandmother. We then see Bernardo and his two friends (one boy and one girl) at a funeral, and a casket being lowered. Shortly after, a cab pulls up with Pedro in it, out of the hospital and healthy, then revealing that it was the grandmother's funeral they were attending. After a brief conversation, Bernardo goes and hugs and kisses his friends on the cheek goodbye in a way we never really know if its the boy or girl he maybe more than friends with. its left to us as the viewer. Bernardo and his uncle reunite and ride away in the cab together.
on 8 February 2004, and was shortly followed by a nationwide release in Spain
on 27 February 2004. It then made its debut in the United States
at the 2004 Miami International GL Film Festival on April 28, 2004, and got theatrical releases in New York on November 5, 2004 and in Los Angeles
on November 19, 2004, earning $99,261 at the U.S. Box Office. It was first released on DVD-video
on 10 May 2005, and was released again as an unrated director's cut
on 1 March 2007.
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
-themed (in particular, the gay Bear community
Bear community
"Bear" is a LGBT slang term that refers to members of a subculture in the homosexual and bisexual male communities and to an emerging subset of LGBT communities with events, codes, and a culture-specific identity...
) drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by Miguel Albaladejo
Miguel Albaladejo
Miguel Albaladejo, is a Spanish screenwriter and film director.-Filmography as Film Director:* La primera noche de mi vida * Manolito Gafotas * Ataque verbal * Rencor...
. It is about a bearish gay man who ends up looking after his nephew while his sister goes away to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and in turn makes him develop a fatherly bond with the boy as well as forcing him to alter his lifestyle. The Spanish word cachorro describes any young, furry animal such as a cub or puppy.
Plot
As a favor to his hippy sister who has gone off to IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pedro, a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, has agreed to look after his nine-year-old nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
, Bernardo. Bernardo’s father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
is dead and the boy and his uncle
Uncle
An uncle is a type of familial relationship.Uncle may also refer to:* Uncle , by J. P. Martin* U.N.C.L.E., a fictional organization in the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E....
have not had much to do with each other until now. Originally, the boy was to stay with Pedro for a few days, but six weeks have passed with no word from the boy's mother.
His nephew’s presence forces Pedro to take a break from his otherwise extremely active sex life. In fact, Pedro was beginning to tired of the superficial nature of his many relationships. Even his boyfriend, Manuel, who suddenly pays Pedro a visit and who shares his penchant for leather and latex, is not really the man with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life, despite of the fact that they express love for each other. Then, all at once, an entirely different set of problems crops up. For one there’s Doña Teresa, Bernardo’s paternal grandmother, who one day darkens Pedro’s door and puts the emotional screws on him. Worse still, however, is the news that Bernardo’s mother has been arrested in India for drug smuggling. She may be facing a prison sentence of thirty years, so the embassy informs Pedro. Pedro is just as shocked at this news as Bernardo; nevertheless, he realizes that he is now responsible for the boy. Without further ado, he decides to rise to the challenge this represents. There suddenly seem to be so many things to organize – such as repairs to the house and finding a school for the boy – that Pedro hardly misses the life he used to lead. Gradually, however, he succeeds in rekindling his sex life – albeit in a less excessive form.
Then Doña Teresa puts in another appearance, this time demanding custody of Bernardo. But Pedro is ready to fight for the boy’s welfare. After illegally obtaining his medical history (revealing that Pedro is HIV positive) and hiring a private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
who obtains pictures of Pedro on a night out in a gay club, and threatening him with both, he ends up letting her put Bernardo in a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. When his grandmother goes to visit him later on revealing Pedro's HIV (despite their previous agreement), Bernardo reveals that he already knew from his mother, and that his mother was HIV positive as well. She then reveals that he is in the hospital with pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. He then tells her that he hates her and that it's her fault that he's currently in the hospital, because he wasn't there to care for him.
Three years pass, letters go back and forth between Bernardo, Pedro, his mother and his grandmother. We then see Bernardo and his two friends (one boy and one girl) at a funeral, and a casket being lowered. Shortly after, a cab pulls up with Pedro in it, out of the hospital and healthy, then revealing that it was the grandmother's funeral they were attending. After a brief conversation, Bernardo goes and hugs and kisses his friends on the cheek goodbye in a way we never really know if its the boy or girl he maybe more than friends with. its left to us as the viewer. Bernardo and his uncle reunite and ride away in the cab together.
Cast
- José Luis García Pérez as Pedro
- David Castillo as Bernardo, 9 years old
- Daniel Llobregat as Bernardo, 14 years old
- Diana Cerezo as Lola
- Arno Chevrier as Manuel
- Empar Ferrer as Doña Teresa
- Mario Arias as Javi
Distribution
The film originally debuted at the 2004 Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
on 8 February 2004, and was shortly followed by a nationwide release in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
on 27 February 2004. It then made its debut in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the 2004 Miami International GL Film Festival on April 28, 2004, and got theatrical releases in New York on November 5, 2004 and in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on November 19, 2004, earning $99,261 at the U.S. Box Office. It was first released on DVD-video
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
on 10 May 2005, and was released again as an unrated director's cut
Director's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
on 1 March 2007.
Film Festivals
- 2004 Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
- 2004 Tribeca Film FestivalTribeca Film FestivalThe Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
- 40th Chicago International Film FestivalChicago International Film FestivalThe Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
- 2004 Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalPhiladelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalThe Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by TLA Entertainment Group in 1995. The event is the third largest of its kind in the US, and the largest on the East Coast....
- 2004 Miami International GL Film Festival
- 2005 Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film FestivalTokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film FestivalThe Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is an international film festival for sexual minorities held in Tokyo.The festival began in 1992 and is held every year in July at the Spiral Hall in the Aoyama neighborhood of Tokyo....
External links
- Official TLA Releasing Site
- Cachorro at Allmovie