Cachorro

Cachorro

dramacomedy, Spain 2004, 99 min

The bear-like Pedro (José Luis García-Perez) is thirty-something, well-to-do and suffering from fear of commitment. His existence consists of a lively social life, an extensive circle of equally bear-like friends and unbridled casual sex with strangers. Responsibility, devotion and settling-down are not his cup of tea -- that is until his 11-year-old nephew Bernardo (the brilliant David Castillo) makes Pedro change his ways.

Bernardo comes to live with Pedro when his hippie mother Violeta (Elvira Lindo) travels to India. The trip, which was supposed to last for only a few weeks, gets an unexpected extension, when Violeta is caught trying to smuggle narcotics. At first Pedro is anxious about his life-style, but when Bernardo turns out to be cool with it, a warm friendship and trust develops between the bear and the cub. The snake in this paradise is Bernardo's grandmother Doña Teresa (Ampar Ferrer), who begins an emotional blackmail campaign to try and get Bernardo for herself and out of the unconventional community formed by Pedro and his friends. Pedro won't give up without a fight, but how will the pair fair in the crosscurrents between Pedro's old and new life? Cachorro's bears tell a captivating and touching story, with a struggle between good and evil interspersed with warmth and humour together with an excellent soundtrack.

Cachorro has been shown this year e.g. at the Berlin Film Festival and in the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Krista Ojutkangas