Five different teenagers in the U.S. and Bolivia strive to make sense of their sexuality, revealing what is universal about the human experience. These characters from diverse backgrounds – a rich stud, a poor Bolivian school girl, a Colombian boy visiting his Bolivian cousin, an African American college student and a secretly gay football player/model – have nothing in common except the desire to experience true intimacy. Their stories unfold and overlap as they become victims of their own sexual dependencies, self-perceptions and illusions. With unusual vitality and immediacy, director Rodrigo Bellott structures stories around issues of gender, rape and sexuality in which the characters struggle with their identities, reaching for ideals that represent everything they feel they are supposed to be, but are not. Winner of the Critic’s Prize at the Locarno Film Festival, this stylistically ambitious film – Bellott uses a split-screen throughout – is the first Bolivian release since 1997.

“The strongest film of the AFI Fest … Sexual Dependency has the passion and scope of Amores Perros and Y Tu Mamá También.” — Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

“The Bolivian Titanic … a courageous examination of machismo eloquently expressed.” — Ana Maria de la Fuente, Screen International

Tuesday, March 22, 5:15pm & 7:30pm*

*Q&A after the 7:30 screening with producer Ara Katz, executive producers Greg Leonarczyk & Christopher Casanova, and editor Adriana Pacheco.

The Cinema Tropical Winter Film Series is sponsored by The New York Times and is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency
For more information visit www.cinematropical.com or call (212) 592-3428