The Night Flowers

With warmth and an eye for detail, Omar Robles and Eduardo Esquivel follow a group of queer young people in Mexico who call themselves Las flores de la noche—“the night flowers.” In their conservative, parochial environment, they try to gain a place in the community while holding onto their often hard-won identities.

Most of them keep their hair long and their skirts short, but Uriel always wears trousers and has his hair neatly trimmed. As a dance instructor, he tries to prepare awkward teenagers for real life. Within his religious community, Uriel tries out controversial conversion therapy, aimed at “curing” his homosexuality. But that doesn’t stop him from still spending a lot of time with his friends.

Loosely connected scenes reveal close friendships. There is comedy when the group takes part in a gay football tournament, styling themselves as the mighty Night Flowers of Mezcala, while openly questioning the sexual orientation of their muscular opponents. Still, beneath all the commotion and cutting humor lies vulnerability and an authentic longing for freedom.