The Astronaut Lovers – BFI Flare 2025

Writer and Director: Marco Berger

Giving hope to every gay man who is in love with one of their straight male friends, Marco Berger’s new film is a wonderfully sexy romcom set in Argentina. Smart and unabashedly romantic, The Astronaut Lovers is the must-see movie in this year’s BFI Flare Festival.

Berger’s last film Horseplay was also a queer take on heterosexuality examining homosocial relations between a group of young Argentine men. The straight men in that film protected their sexuality by flirting relentlessly with each other, the epithet ‘no homo’ lingering over every one of the boys’ interactions. Their behaviour was sexy and fun for the audience to watch, until the end, when one boy crosses the line.

Those who have seen Horseplay will worry when handsome straight Maxi starts playing with gay Pedro, the old school friend he hasn’t seen for years. They begin their flirting almost immediately; dirty puns and sexual innuendos are delivered with such scattergun speed that it’s hard to keep up. Pedro is smitten, but he has to be careful not to read too much into Maxi’s advances.

Some of their wordplay hinges on the idea of an astronaut as they consider, ironically, of course, who will be the first to plant his flag on the Moon or Mars. It’s an apt metaphor for such a journey into the unknown. Both men discover that they prefer the unremitting barrage of suggestive banter to hanging out with their other friends staying at the beach house.

But when Maxi proposes that they pretend to be in a relationship to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, the stakes are raised and now Pedro has to endure kisses on the cheek from a man who he obviously desires. Occasionally, one of the men will declare their love for the other, with the film’s audience holding its breath, but these affirmations always turn out to be jokes, ways of tricking and humiliating the other. Has a romcom ever been so tense?

Soon, Maxi and Pedro have to perform their fauxmance for everyone, even kissing passionately to prove to their friends that their relationship is real. These scenes are the best and funniest in the film, but still, it’s hard not to be suspicious of Maxi’s intentions and to feel for Pedro as the lines are blurred.

Javier Orán as Pedro and Lautaro Bettoni as Maxi put in brilliantly natural performances in a film that deserves a longer life after festival season has ended.

The Astronaut Lovers is screening at BFI Flare 2025 from 19-30 March.