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Venezuela, Mexico · 2016
Rated R · 1h 33m
Director Lorenzo Vigas
Starring Alfredo Castro, Luis Silva, Jericó Montilla, Catherina Cardozo
Genre Drama
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Lorenzo Vigas’ mesmerizing feature debut examines the struggles of a man petrified by the notion of human contact and intimacy. Armando, aged 50, cruises young men in the streets of Caracas. One day he meets 17-year-old Elder, leader of a small band of thugs. Their turbulent relationship will come to mimic the violent, passionate, oppressive unpredictability of the city around them.
The Hollywood Reporter by David Rooney
Deliberately detached in its observational style, yet as probing, subtle and affecting as any psychological drama could wish to be, this is an elliptical film that trusts its audience enough to peel away exposition and unnecessary dialogue, uncovering rich layers of ambiguity.
Slant Magazine by Diego Semerene
The film renders visible a very complicated, and awfully repressed, truth not only about gay desire, but desire in general.
Looking, not touching, is the act of choice for a sexually wary gay man in From Afar, and his hands-off approach is shared by the expert storytelling in Venezuelan helmer Lorenzo Vigas’ pristinely poised but deeply felt debut feature.
Vigas' grip is so tight that even if you do get to the heart of his meaning, there's a chance it will have had the life squeezed out of it.
The more conventional thriller element demands that the transformation from enmity to something like love is too swiftly accomplished to be properly convincing.
Screen International by Jonathan Romney
It’s above all a character study, as well as an elegant technical achievement that puts a distinctive stylistic slant on its realist subject matter.
Village Voice by Melissa Anderson
Despite From Afar's lumbering solemnity, Castro, a Chilean actor best known for his collaborations with compatriot Pablo Larraín, proves ever supple.
The A.V. Club by Mike D'Angelo
From Afar plays like a typical first feature, with ambition outstripping execution by a hefty margin.
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
In withholding biographical information about the characters, the movie supplies just enough material to prompt you to fill in the blanks.
The Film Stage by Zhuo-Ning Su
Through it all, Vigas’ writing remains non-judgmental and keenly observant. He doesn’t attempt to explain everything with words, but the raw honesty of his voice compels every step along the way.
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