Temblores

In this deeply personal followup to his landmark debut IXACNUL, Jayro Bustamante shifts his focus from rural Guatemala to the denizens of Guatemala City but once again sets his sights on an individual caught between two seeming irreconcilable worlds.

When handsome and charismatic Pablo arrives at his affluent family’s house, everyone is eagerly awaiting the return of their beloved son, devoted father and caring husband. A seemingly exemplary pillar of Guatemala City’s evangelical Christian community, Pablo’s announcement that he intends to leave his wife for another man sends shock waves through the family. As Pablo tries to acclimate to his new life in the city’s gay subculture with the liberated Francisco, his ultra-religious family does everything in its power to get their prodigal son back on track, no matter the cost.

"If Bustamante’s lucid second feature makes it feel as though the world itself is trembling beneath your feet, it’s because this mercilessly grounded film keys into the devilishness of Pablo’s dilemma: Forcing him to choose between himself and his family is the only way to guarantee that he ultimately loses both." ~ David Ehrlich, Indiewire

"To its very last moment, “Tremors” is a prodigiously gut-wrenching demand for change; the film isn’t kindly asking for tolerance but bluntly exposing the torment inflicted in the name of a prejudiced God. It’s a magnificently unflinching film from a master director in the making, whose thunderous strength will surely make waves in Bustamante’s Central American homeland and abroad." ~ Carlos Aguilar, The Wrap

"There are any number of movies about gay men trying to liberate themselves from the long shadow of heteronormative oppression ... but few have been told with the extraordinary nuance or compassion of Jayro Bustamante’s “Tremors.” Grade: A-" ~ David Ehrlich, IndieWire

"The second feature from Ixcanul writer/director (and Berlin Silver Bear winner) Jayro Bustamante offers a thoughtful, emotionally-charged exploration of a devoutly religious family man torn apart by the revelation of his love for another man." ~ Allan Hunter, Screen Daily

"As the latest in a long line of films to examine the hypocrisy-laden clash between gay rights and evangelical Christian ethos ... this strong second feature from Guatemalan talent Jayro Bustamante doesn’t ask new questions, but its sensuous, reverberating atmospherics find fresh, angry ways to answer them." ~ Guy Lodge, Variety

"Temblores is a beautifully shot and well-executed film offering a fascinating insight into the structures that still stifle and stringently repress those who want to live and love outside of the traditional rules." ~ Sarah Bradbury, The Upcoming

"...it is a convincing, touching and, at certain points, infuriating depiction of what it means to be a gay man in a society dominated by a very traditional version of the Christian religion." ~ Vladan Petkovic, Cineuropa