Review of the film “Hetero: What Is Your Secret?”, aka “Straight”, by Marcelo Tobar, starring Alejandro Speitzer. A bi man torn between his girlfriend and his lover.
The French title of this feature film is not very appealing, but we gave it a try because the role of a conflicted bisexual man is played by the very handsome actor Alejandro Speitzer. He plays Roberto, a handsome guy who works in finance, earns a very good living, and lives in a beautiful apartment. Roberto has been in a relationship with Elia (Bàrbara López), a nice, tolerant, and understanding girl, for 8 years. However, Elia would like them to take things to the next level and move in together. But Roberto hesitates… And for good reason: what his girlfriend does not know is that Roberto is bisexual and recently gave in to his attraction to boys when he met a charming student, Cris (Franco Masini). What was supposed to be only a one-night encounter gradually turned into a real affair. But Roberto knows that he will not be able to juggle his two partners like this forever…
Between bisexuality, couplehood, and repressed desire
The film is exactly what one would expect: a new variation on the troubled relationship between a gay man and an inaccessible boy who struggles to come to terms with his attraction to guys. All the genre’s motifs are there, and there are no real surprises. Still, the film addresses an interesting theme, despite its potentially misleading French and international titles: that of a bisexual man who would prefer not to have to choose.
Roberto is not a closeted gay man: he likes women as much as men. We can see that there is chemistry with his girlfriend, that he truly loves and desires her. But as he allows himself to explore his bisexuality, he is naturally more drawn to Cris, who has a forbidden and secret quality for him. If life were simple, he would move constantly from one to the other and be fully satisfied. But neither his girlfriend nor his lover wants to share him… His girlfriend wants to move in with him, while his lover hopes they will become a couple.
Marcelo Tobar films Roberto’s confinement in a chamber piece
In formal terms, although it is fairly conventional, director Marcelo Tobar conveys his main character’s feeling of confinement by making the film almost a chamber piece, set mainly in Roberto’s apartment.
Even if there is nothing particularly new under the sun, we still appreciate the accurate performances and the gay scenes, which are quite fun, pretty, and sexy.
A film produced in 2023 and available on the LGBT film platform
Other romances with bi guys
- I Have 2 Loves
- Since the Last Time We Saw Each Other
- After the Night
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