Tu Me Manques

By: Sam Frost

Tu Me Manques crashes down on your chest. Think Sufjan Stevens on repeat mixed with an angry father. Jorge (Oscar Martínez) travels from conservative Bolivia to New York in search of his son Gabriel’s (Jose Duran, Ben Lukovski and Quim del Rio) ex-boyfriend Sebastian (Fernando Barbosa) after Gabriel’s death. This film is an emotional investigation of what can be left behind after one’s death.

The film opens in anger. Jorge is going through his son’s belongings when Sebastian tries to reach Gabriel through Facetime. The two of them get into an argument that leads to Jorge realizing Sebastian has no idea what has happened. Sebastian’s surprise and devastation are unavoidable, but the men ultimately still end their phone call in anger. They don’t speak again until Jorge shows up in New York City at Sebastian’s house.

After Jorge’s unannounced arrival, the film follows the journey of Jorge learning about his son’s hidden life. He spends time with Sebastian, sees the apartment he and Gabriel lived in and meets his friends. At the same time, the film follows the progress of Sebastian’s stage play based on his and Gabriel’s life together while interchanging between present and past moments in Sensation’s relationship with Gabriel.

Throughout the entire film the tension between Jorge and Sebastian is palpable. At first they can barely be in the same room without Sebastian reacting in either deep anger or deep sadness, but then they start to find a rhythm. There’s a sense of obligation that brings them together, as if they both know that in Gabriel’s ideal world, they would have known each other and gotten along.

Martínez’s portrayal of Jorge is filled with raw emotion and passion. Every word and every look of his is saturated in grief and there’s no question that his character is in an immense amount of pain. Jorge is devastated but trying, which leaves him with a mix of both sadness and redemption.

Writer/director Rodrigo Bellott did a great job of piecing together this narrative. With some many plot lines running through it would be easy to get completely lost. But while at times the back and forth between storylines felt convoluted, the overall film comes together nicely. The choppiness of that to and fro adds a texture to the film, as if it’s mirroring the grieving process of its characters. There isn’t a specific method or narrative arch for grief or life in general and having a more unique structure creates the same kind of tension.

Gabriel’s absence leaves these two men gutted and their responses carry this film. The men move through emotions they never expected to feel and they pull the audience in with them. Tu Me Manques is definitely a tear-jerker, but grab some tissues and don’t miss out on this moving feature.