Ruben Gonzales is Luz, a young man sent to prison for causing the death of a young woman he was driving, a young woman he was smitten with. The film, ‘Luz,’ has stayed on my mind ever since I watched it a couple weeks ago. It’s a very memorable love story.
Luz has ties to the mafioso, and the woman he was driving in the car was his cousin’s partner. Luz is thrown into prison for causing her death (he also had been drinking when he crashed), and he also has to worry about the wrath of his cousin when he gets out, a cousin who has taken Luz’s baby daughter after the death of his mother who was looking after her.
Luz is thrown into a cell with Carlos (an extremely excellent Jesse Tayeh), who at first practically bullies Luz. But as time goes on there is something in Luz that Carlos finds attractive, and Luz the same with Carlos. Before you can say ‘prison break’ they fall into each others arms and live prison life as a couple – surprisingly not causing much attention to themselves from the other prisoners. Then suddenly, Carlos is released, which comes to a shock to Luz – he had no idea this was going to happen but Carlos always kept cards close to his chest.
Eventually Luz gets released, and there is no one to pick him up, but he has two main concerns; to get this daughter from his evil cousin, and to find Carlos no matter what. He does eventually find Carlos working in a garage, but will their prison relationship hold up in the real world? And can Luz get his daughter away from the clutches of his kingpin mafia cousin?
Jon Garcia, an accomplished Emmy-nominated filmmaker and musician, directs and writes ‘Luz’ from his heart and soul. It’s a tender love story where two men, who fought for their lives in prison, fight for love on the outside. While Gonzales needs some more acting lessons to nail the emotions of his role, Tayeh is a natural – we can see why Luz has fallen in love with him. Tayeh has done lots of television work in the last ten years, and I am sure there are bigger things in store for him – he’s just fantastic in ‘Luz.’ The love story in ‘Luz ‘is unexpected, but it’s romantic and natural.
On DVD and Digital April 6 from Dark Star Pictures.
Review by Tim Baros