Mexican cinema has not been unique in reflecting societal constructions of gender in cinema, nor has it been unique in using queerness as a foil to such constructions. It also has followed the path that as societies begin to open up to gender and sexual diversity, deeper depictions of queer characters complicate traditional constructions further while moving towards more authentic representations and narratives.<\/p>\n
This course is interested in such a transition in Mexican cinema, when a limited number of films began to center on biologically male (and mostly male-identifying) characters who challenge traditional constructions of masculinity. In this course we will first focus on two late 20th century films that find queer characters enmeshed in traditional constructions of masculinity. Then, we will turn our attention to a landmark in independent global cinema that blurs the lines between the homosocial and the homoerotic before ending with an early (and relatively short) entry from a prominent Mexican gay art cinema auteur.<\/p>\n