The title of the film has multiple meanings. In Chile, the country where this film is set, "cola de mono" is the name of a traditional drink served during the Christmas season. It's comparable to what people in the United States call "eggnog." It's even made in the same way and with the same ingredients as eggnog. It contains milk, egg yolks, nutmeg, cinnamon, cream, vanilla and some kind of liquor. However, literally translated, the title of this film means "tail of monkey." Normally though, cola del mono is how you would say tail of monkey. "Cola de mono" or simply "cola" has become a gay slur or homophobic insult in Chile or in Chilean culture. Besides tail of some animal, "cola" can also mean the human rear-end, which gay men presumably prefer.
Written and directed by Alberto Fuguet, this film seems to be chiefly about not just that homophobic insult but homophobia in Chile in general. The film takes place in Santiago, the capital of Chile, starting on Christmas Eve, 1986. The 1980's were a time of increased homophobia and stigma against gay people, in part due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which isn't referenced here, but there are several references to 80's films like
Aliens (1986) and
Gremlins (1984), which were popular horror films of the decade. There are also references to the works of Stephen King, one of the most successful authors in the field of horror and suspense.
It could be argued that this film isn't trying to be a horror or suspense film in the vein of those aforementioned movies or in the vein of those Stephen King stories. Most of which contain some kind of science-fiction or fantasy aspect to them. This film doesn't have any kind of sci-fi aspect to it. If anything, this film wants to be more like the kind of thriller that it references in a very subtle and easily overlooked way. It references William Friedkin's
Cruising (1980).
It might not want to be like that thriller entirely. It might just want to be that thriller only for brief sequences and only at the very end. Otherwise, the film is lacking in thrills for most of its running time. That running time instead is filled with what could be described as a more erotic, coming-of-age tale. It could also be described as a more charged and homosexual awakening. The majority of the film occurs on Christmas Eve as it follows two brothers, one older and one younger as they both, almost simultaneously, discover and embrace, or at least try to embrace, their same-sex attraction, their queerness as it were.
Fuguet's narrative is very slow and sensual. It's also very easygoing. When one thinks of a thriller, there is usually some sense of danger. Thrillers utilize the emotion of fear. It doesn't have to be out-and-out scary, but the emotion of fear is utilized to some degree. For over half of this film, for the better part of an hour, arguably the emotion of fear is totally absent. Instead of fear, the film feels more like discovery and defiance, discovery of homo-eroticism and defiance of societal norms.
Even after the subtle nod to Friedkin's film, there's perhaps an inherent sense of danger or a hint of it when we see the older brother named Vicente DÃaz Olivos, played by Santiago RodrÃguez Costabal, go cruising. We see Vicente strolling through some park where men are openly kissing and groping each other, having sex. Given that homosexuality wasn't legalized until 1999, it's odd to see these men being so open. A lot of cruising happens in open parks but the sex is usually hidden behind trees and bushes or in back alleys, so it's not in plain sight. The sex here though does seem to be happening in plain sight. Still, Vicente expresses no fear, no sense of danger or apprehension.
Everything seems like a fantasy come true. Fuguet probably does this purposefully in order to underscore the danger when he does finally switch gears and all of a sudden thrusts violence upon us. The danger and fear are thrust upon us too. At that point, the film becomes more about the legacy of homophobia as not just a physical threat but a psychical threat, especially as it relates to what gets passed along through a single family, specifically from parent to child.
It's up to the viewer to determine if the final scene and final shots, some of which roll during the end credits, remain indeed physical or psychical threats. It's up to the viewer to determine if the threats are real or just in the mind. Vicente's brother is Borja who is played by Cristóbal RodrÃguez Costabal, the real-life brother of the actor who plays Vicente. Borja is the younger brother who bears the brunt of the homophobic legacy passed through the family. It's ironic because Borja is seemingly the most comfortable with his same-sex attraction. The Costabal brothers do have several scenes together and their chemistry is electric. It might be taboo to think that it's almost incestuous, but I think it's more about the two trying to reconcile their similarities, manifesting in Fuguet's film literally turning one into the other.
Not Rated but contains full-frontal male nudity and graphic sexuality.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 41 mins.
Available on Dekkoo.
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