‘Aristotle & Dante’ Trans Director Says Film Goes Against LGBTQ+ Stereotypes

Gay Movie

2023-09-12
13:17

Trans director Aitch Alberto says that the film ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’ renounces stereotypes towards queers, adding that it’s about time to “redefine” the narratives that shape not only the LGBTQ+ community but the Latinx community as well.

‘Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’ is based on the best-selling 2012 coming-of-age novel of the same title by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. It tells the story of two Mexican-American teens, their queer friendship, and the love that forms between them. It stars Max Pelayo as Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza and Reese Gonzales as Dante Quintana.

The film adaptation was directed by trans filmmaker Aitch Alberto and produced by Lin Manuel Miranda.

In an interview with People Magazine released last September 7, Alberto said that the story of Aristotle and Dante goes “against the tropes” normally given to the Latinx and LGBTQ+ communities in TV and film. In fact, the story’s themes are “universal” to all.

In directing the film, Alberto said that she approached it with a “lens that feels gentle, specifically when it comes to Latinx stories in a way we haven’t seen before.”

“I wanted to make this because it so plays against the tropes we’ve seen and the stereotypes we’ve seen. I just refuse to play into that,” she said. “That’s not the work that I want to put out in the world.”

Alberto said that she was careful not to “perpetuate trauma porn in a way that we’ve seen redundantly over and over again.”

‘Aristotle and Dante’ hit US cinemas last September 8.

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