Cinema Guild has announced the U.S. theatrical release of Lucio Castro's acclaimed directorial debut End of the Century (Fin de siglo), which had its world premiere at the Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA’s New Directors/New Films last spring, and its Los Angeles premiere as part of the Outfest LGBTQ Film Festival last Friday.
Winner of the Best First Feature Award at Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, and the Best Argentine Film Award at the Buenos Aires Film Festival (BAFICI), End of the Century opens Friday, August 16 at the IFC Center in New York City, Friday, September 20 at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles, and Friday, September 27 at the Opera Plaza Cinemas in San Francisco, followed by other U.S. cities.
In his alluring debut feature, Castro offers both a sun-soaked European travelogue and an epic, decades-spanning romance. When Ocho (Juan Barberini), a 30-something Argentine poet on vacation in Barcelona, spots Javi (Ramón Pujol), a Spaniard from Berlin, from the balcony of his Airbnb, the attraction is subtle but persistent. After a missed connection on the beach, a third chance encounter escalates to a seemingly random hookup. But are these two merely beautiful strangers in a foreign city or are they part of each other’s histories—and maybe even their destinies?
Castro deliberately parses out mystery after mystery, leading the audience on a journey of discovery as the two leading men discover themselves and each other. With sumptuous lensing of a Barcelona summertime and tangible chemistry between the actors, End of the Century is a love story that echoes across time.
