East Side Story

Writer/director Carlos Portugal's comedy drama East Side Story earns a historical footnote, as one of the premier mainstream (though non-Hollywood) American films about an openly gay Latino character. Ren? Alvarado stars as Diego, an East L.A.-residing Chicano homosexual. As the story opens, Diego rides out a long, headfirst downhill slope. With his once-promising culinary career in tatters, and the local neighborhood invaded by increasing numbers of WASPS, he finds his one and only solace in playing kinky illegal immigrant-themed sex games with his male lover, Pablo (David Beron) -- which often proves difficult given the fact that Diego lives with his grandmother. Pablo's sudden indication that he recently had straight sex with Diego's nymphomaniacal aunt (Gladise Jimenez) threatens to damage or even destroy their relationship -- but this becomes irrelevant when Diego meets and falls in love with someone new: Wesley (Steve Callahan), a Caucasian man who moves in next door and promptly returns Diego's feelings. Suddenly, the future begins to look very bright indeed for these two, but serious questions linger about their ability to ride out the pressures wrought by an interracial gay relationship, including malevolent ex-boyfriends and the discouragement perpetuated by disapproving family members.