Alejandro Andade Pease’s HOMBRES INTEGROS (FINE YOUNG MEN), premiering THIS WEDNESDAY at 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival (with screenings through February 13)
By Oliver Carnay
HOMBRES INTEGROS (FINE YOUNG MEN) will be screening at 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival on the following dates and locations:
Wednesday, February 5, 5:10PM PST at the SBIFF Film Center, Auditorium #2
Thursday, RED CARPET event at 6:15-6:45PM, Arlington Theatre (1317 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101)
Tuesday, February 11, 3:20PM SBIFF Film Center, Auditorium #5
Thursday, February 13, 12:00PM, Riviera Theatre
To get tickets, please log on to www.sbiff.org
FINE YOUNG MEN reflects on identity and the fear of being oneself in a socially privileged, machista, and classist environment. It’s teen coming of age meets the bro code, death, corruption, and conspiracy of silence, BUT, that does a blunt job of explaining what the film does so much more elegantly, sparely, tenderly and, well, more effectively than my explanation does. The story is inspired by Pease’s experiences as a teenager in a school like the one depicted in the film. The idea stemmed from Pease and co-writer Armando López Muñoz’s shared experiences growing up in the same school, leading them to create a story about that environment, education system, and mindset.
Pease recalls, “We saw class conflict and themes like racism, homophobia, and pervasive machismo. The contrast between Christian values and what really happens in those classrooms and schoolyards was striking. We wanted to explore how we witnessed these seeds in adolescence that later grew into corrupt politicians and exploitative businessmen.”
ALF (played by newcomer Andrés Revo, in a compelling performance that gave him the Ojito Award for Best Actor at the film’s world premiere at the 2024 Morelia International Film Festival) returns to his Catholic school and encounters a new student, OLIVER (Joaquin Emanuel), who captivates him, leading him away from his lifelong friends. Yet, when faced with adversity, Alf betrays this attraction, opting to display his masculinity to his friends. This choice results in dire consequences that will leave an indelible mark on them all for life.
Pease has won multiple awards with the short film HAND GAME (2004), featured in the Berlinale. CUERNAVACA” (2017) is his debut feature film, selected in 20 festivals including Guadalajara, Rome, and Chicago. FINE YOUNG MEN is his second feature.