An understanding of the macho culture which underpins Peruvian society is a prerequisite for viewers of Francisco J. Lombardi's DON'T TELL ANYONE, an apparently sanitized version of the bestselling book by chat show host Jaime Bayly. Hot young TV star Santiago Magill (The Most Beautiful Man In The World - official!) plays the central character as a deeply confused individual who wants to conform but is unable to deny his true sexuality, despite the attentions of a sympathetic girlfriend (Lucia Jimenez) who believes she can make him 'normal' again. Inevitably, Magill goes off the rails and forfeits his education before descending into coke-fuelled abandon and fleeing to Miami. Unable to escape his past, he's forced to compromise the very essence of his humanity...

Lombardi's cheerless film shakes an angry fist at the influence of religious doctrine in Peru (revealed here as a sham) and the racism suffered by the country's native Indian population, an anger shared by the movie's principal character, who rails against the very same bigotry and oppression which stifles his freedom at every turn. His slide into rebellion makes for uncomfortable viewing (Magill gives a powerhouse performance as the delicate, pretty-boy waif who gravitates toward anarchy and emerges a strong - though embittered - survivor), but it's also faintly predictable, given the terrible circumstances under which he is forced to exist. Magill is pleasingly nude in a number of scenes, though gay viewers may be alarmed by the emphasis placed on his relationship with Jimenez, who thinks he's merely suffering a 'trauma' and can be cured by having sex with a woman (it's no surprise to learn that director Lombardi is straight), while his relationships with men are depicted as fragile and fleeting, primarily because his male partners are under the same societal pressures as himself. Unable to indulge his true sexuality, Magill's character seems doomed to a life of unhappiness and deceit, an approach which distinguishes the film from its feel-good American counterparts. Technical credits are polished, and the cast is exemplary, but it's hard to enjoy this bleak little movie, and even harder to dismiss it.

The DVD from Picture This! is fair enough, though this is yet another gay movie whose theatrical Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack has been downmixed to 2.0 surround for its US disc release. Picture quality may suffer on larger monitors and colors are a little heavy (which may have been part of the film's original color scheme), but it's generally OK. A trailer for this film is included, along with previews for other gay-themed movies from Picture This! The 114 minute running time quoted on the packaging is a mistake.

108m 28s
1.85:1 / Letterboxed
DVD soundtrack: Stereo surround 2.0
Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Digital
Spanish with optional English subtitles
All regions