The opening night film at the Miami International Film Festival, Mariachi Gringo follows a white-bread dude from Kansas (Shawn Ashmore) who travels to Guadalajara, Mexico, to pursue his dream of being a mariachi singer and romance the girl who stole his heart.
“Sounds great,” you say, “but what’s gay about it?” We’re glad you asked:
*Gringo‘s openly gay director Tom Gustafson and his partner, Cory Krueckeberg, were the creative force behind the indie musical Were the World Mine, a modern-day queer re-imagining of A Midsummer’s Night Dream. “It’s hard to make indie films,” Krueckeberg tells Queerty, “but it’s sometimes even harder to find an audience. But we know all the fans of Were the World Mine will love this film as well.”
* Star Shawn Ashmore is no stranger to queer cinema: He played an HIV+ porn star in 3 Needles and, as Iceman in the X-Menmovies, he had a infamous “coming out” scene when he revealed his mutant powers to his shocked parents.
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* Ashmore’s character Edward has a brief gay flirtation (we’re not gonna give it away here—go see the movie!)
* Grammy winning Mexican diva Lila Downs performs many of the film’s musical numbers.
Next the film competes at Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose,, followed by screenings at the Nashville Film Festival, Dallas Film Festival, Chicago Latino Film Festival and Vail Film Festival. Check out the film’s Facebook pagefor more info on screenings.
The Miami International Film Festival continues through March 11. Photo via Speak Productions
Danny
So… a story about straight people… wow… that’s original. Can’t see that any day of the week 24/7 and every channel or movie theater in existence on the planet. How much sarcasm can go into one comment without using emoticons…
Kyle412
That actor needs to eat. He looks really thin and unhealthy.
krt40
@Danny: wow…a bitchy gay person….that’s original.
Cory
Thanks Dan for the post!
But, I really hate (but have) to say…
It doesn’t always “Get Better.”
Why do we always feel the need to pre-judge others in the same ways that people pre-judge us?
“Danny” hasn’t seen the film, so has no basis for judging his supposed take on the sexuality in it. And Kyle could weigh 100lbs or 400lbs – it doesn’t matter… Who gives him the right to judge the weight of an actor based on a few frames of film and no meaningful information?
Sad…
Cory