In 1987 at a swimming pool in El Paso, two outcast teenagers – Ari and Dante, become instant friends. But when Dante wants friendship to turn into romance, the conflicted Ari recoils. This beautiful, multilayered exploration of first love and self-acceptance casts a beguiling spell.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00 [silence]
00:06 [music]
00:07 One summer night, I fell asleep, afraid that nothing in my family would ever change.
00:13 And I'll feel alone forever.
00:15 [music]
00:18 [laughter]
00:19 Hey, my name's Dante.
00:21 Hey, my name's Aristotle.
00:24 Everyone calls me Ari.
00:26 Nice to meet you, Ari.
00:27 I can teach you how to swim.
00:29 I'll teach you how to fight.
00:30 Trust me.
00:31 [music]
00:34 My parents want to prevent me from becoming my brother.
00:37 You have a brother?
00:38 He's in jail, so we don't talk about him.
00:40 I met Dante.
00:41 He's really sweet.
00:43 Dante's my friend.
00:45 There's something different about you.
00:46 I like it.
00:48 How are you celebrating the beginning of summer?
00:50 [music]
00:52 [laughter]
00:54 Do you ever analyze your parents?
00:56 My dad is pretty weird.
00:58 He's a gift.
00:59 It's about Mexican art.
01:00 I don't know if I can accept.
01:02 I'm crazy about mine.
01:03 How do you put up with this guy?
01:05 [music]
01:07 So, Dante says you're very smart.
01:11 I'm not as smart as him.
01:13 We're leaving for a year.
01:15 What?
01:16 [music]
01:18 Will we be friends when I come back from Chicago?
01:22 [music]
01:26 I'm sorry.
01:27 I miss El Paso.
01:29 I think about it all the time, and I think of you.
01:32 [music]
01:34 Dear Dante, sorry I haven't written.
01:36 Maybe keeping things inside is just the way it has to be.
01:40 [music]
01:42 I can't do this.
01:44 Dante.
01:45 [music]
01:49 It seems normal.
01:50 I don't think I'm so normal, Dad.
01:52 [music]
01:55 Dante.
01:56 [music]
01:59 Are there going to be rules for us?
02:01 I guess so.
02:02 If you can't stick by me, it would kill me.
02:05 [music]
02:08 Daddy, you have to stop running.
02:11 [music]
02:17 Someday, I'm going to discover all the secrets of the universe.
02:21 [MUSIC]