Román (Hugo Catalán) and Aldo (Mauricio Rico) live in the same building but they don’t know one another. Román is a B-movie actor while Aldo works in a local bodega and is a talented dancer, and both men enjoy a variety of hook-ups with men they meet while out and about. When a pandemic locks everyone in their homes, Román and Aldo connect via a hook-up app and are forced to build a relationship via video calls and by gazing at each other through their apartment windows. When the temptation to break the law and meet up in person comes up, what will the two men decide to do?
‘The Trace Of Your Lips’ is the latest film from Julián Hernández and it arrives as the world is fully out of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some viewers, being constantly reminded of the pandemic will be a painful experience and not a time they particularly want to revisit. With this film, Hernández draws parallels with that pandemic and with the AIDs epidemic as a mysterious virus rips through the world he’s created leaving gay men fearful that any sexual encounter will result in them catching the deadly virus.
We spend time with both Román and Aldo for the film’s first half as they hook-up with various men they meet. The sex contained here is explicit and neither actor leaves much to the imagination. Román hooks up with a younger guy for a quick encounter in his apartment while Aldo earns money from an older man keen to sleep with him and has a scary encounter with a violent young man he meets in the park. Once the pandemic hits, both men are left observing the talent around them but unable to act on any impulses. Their paths cross one day and that results in connecting via their smartphones.
From that point on, there’s a blur of fantasy and reality as the two men use their imaginations to satisfy themselves sexually. We see the encounters play out on screen but for Román and Aldo, they have to use their imaginations. The thrill of breaking the lockdown proves to be a turn-on, and through their calls they quickly establish their likes and dislikes. Hernández does a good job of highlighting the often fickle and superficial nature of hook-ups being horny gay men, where sex trumps behaving like an actual human being.
Hugo Catalán and Mauricio Rico are frequent collaborators of Hernández, and both are clearly comfortable being in front of his lens. Both ridiculously handsome men, neither is afraid to shed their clothes and go the extra mile for their art. The scenes where they imagine coming together for sexual encounters are sizzling, and for a lot of viewers the gratuitous nudity and sex will likely be enough of a pull. It should be said that they are capable actors too, even if this film doesn’t really stretch either of them.
‘The Trace Of Your Lips’ is really a piece of erotic art. While there is a storyline there, the film really does focus on sex and if that’s what you’re looking for, it serves up plenty. The commentary around the pandemic and the AIDs epidemic is slight and there’s no real deep dive into what’s causing the situation the men find themselves in, but for most viewers I don’t think that’ll matter. Enjoy it for what it is and you’ll likely have a lot of fun.
Cast: Hugo Catalán, Mauricio Rico Director: Julián Hernández Writers: Gustavo Hernández de Anda & Julián Hernández Certificate: 18 Duration: 81 mins Released by: TLA Releasing Release date: 18th December 2023 Buy ‘The Trace Of Your Lips’ now
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