Review: A Year Without Love (D+)

A Year Without Love (2005)
Directed by Anahi Berneri
Starring Juan Minujin, Mimi Ardu & Carlos Echevarria
MPAA: UR
Grade: D+

Review by Scott Standish

You've got to hand it to Strand Releasing. They aren't afraid to touch some of the most daring cinema around. They often release films with strong sexual content, often with gay or lesbian storylines. Usually these films are excellent. One of their recent releases, A Year Without Love, pushes these boundaries in typical fashion. Unfortunately, the film is also a bit boring.

A Year Without Love is based on the published diaries of Pablo Perez. Pablo has AIDS. He places ads in magazines looking for a new lover. He soon finds himself into a deep world of S&M, with mixed emotions about it. The problem with A Year Without Love is that the non-stop S&M scenes are not very exciting, and the story seems to go in circles. I was looking for more information about the main characters and hopefully, some sense of connection to the story.

We love Strand and they have a great track record of putting out daring, interesting films. Unfortunately A Year Without Love isn't one of them.