Review of Rodrigo Bellott’s film I Miss You. A drama inspired by a true story about persistent homophobia in Bolivia.

In this sensitive and raw feature film, Bolivian director Rodrigo Bellott adapts a play that caused quite a stir in Bolivia and was itself drawn from a true story.

I Miss You: a moving encounter between a father and his son’s ex

The film opens with Jorge (Oscar Martinez), a father in tears, calling a stranger whose number is listed in the phone of his son Gabriel, who has just died. He reaches Sebastian (Fernando Barbosa), Gabriel’s ex. He tells him about Gabriel’s death and, as Sebastian reels in shock, the conversation takes an unexpected turn. We learn that Sebastian suspects Gabriel’s death was a suicide, linked to rejection by his homophobic family.

Living in Bolivia, Gabriel’s father decides to travel to New York to meet Sebastian and try to understand who his son was. Unable to accept him or reach out to him while he was alive, something clicks after everything that has happened. Things will not be easy, however, as Jorge remains a backward man with many preconceived notions.

Grief, memory and homophobia at the heart of the story

Although they can barely tolerate each other, Sebastian and Jorge spend time together as a way of grieving and, in a sense, honouring Gabriel’s memory. Each has memories to share and facets of the deceased to reveal to the other. Alongside this singular encounter, Sebastian sets out to pay tribute to Gabriel and combat persistent homophobia in Bolivia by staging a play recounting his ex’s tragic journey. To play his role, he brings together thirty boys connected to Bolivia, most of whom come out as gay in the process.

Rodrigo Bellott’s sensitive and poetic direction

What could have been merely a social film about persistent homophobia in Bolivia and a clash of cultures between an ex from New York living in a bubble and a backward Bolivian father becomes much more than that. Director Rodrigo Bellott is not short of staging ideas and, despite a limited budget, delivers some very beautiful shots and poetic moments. He interweaves scenes from the present, in which the exchanges between the father and the ex are central, with flashbacks, including memories of Sebastian and Gabriel’s romantic relationship—from magical beginnings to painful moments when Gabriel was unable to accept himself—and fictional flourishes as the play takes shape.

A committed and deeply universal LGBTQIA+ film

Carrying an activist message, the film does not neglect its cinematic dimension, fully embracing the explosion of feelings to offer a vibrant and universal drama.

Film produced in 2019, available on VOD and on

Other dramas about difficult coming-outs

• Three Kilometres to the End of the World
• Dear Ex
• You Shall Not Love
• Martyr