LUZ

2020 1h 58m EN

😐

5.5

MID

★5.5TMDB · 19

DramaCrimeRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ruben and Carlos become cellmates in a minimum-security prison. While Ruben struggles to learn the ropes of daily life and where he falls in the complex hierarchical prison system, Carlos becomes a mentor and then eventually a lover. The two men develop feelings for one another they can't easily express. As time moves on and one of them is released before the other, there are questions looming as to whether what they had was real or simply out of the need for human connection.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Ernesto Reyes
Ruben
Jesse Tayeh
Carlos
Jimmy Garcia
Sal
Alma Gloria Garcia
Benilda
Lowell Deo
Officer Dowden
Rega Lupo
Julio
Marian Mendez
Valerie
Evie Riojas
Adriana

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jon García
Writers: Jon García
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jon García, shot by Sarah Whelden. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Matthew Gift shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ernesto Reyes and Jesse Tayeh and Jimmy Garcia carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt11357580 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 19 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jon García directs. Sarah Whelden behind the camera. Matthew Gift cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 6 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jon García, shot by Sarah Whelden. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Matthew Gift shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ernesto Reyes and Jesse Tayeh and Jimmy Garcia carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt11357580 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 19 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sarah Whelden
Editing: Matthew Gift
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: LUZ (2020)

Also by

Jon García

Stills · wallpapers

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-03-27
★ 7/10
When “Ruben” (Ernesto Reyes) is sent to prison he finds his new cell mate “Carlos” (Jesse Tayeh) an unwelcoming bully of a guy and just about everyone else in there ignores him. Gradually, though, he begins to find his feet, befriend his roomie and they soon have quite a productive little illicit business going. Their friendship becomes a little more intimate but before anything much can come of that, one gets released leaving the other in limbo. Once he too gets released, he rather angrily tracks down his friend having been left in the lurch, but pretty obviously hopes that they can pick up where they left off. Of course there are complications with both men and with their families, but maybe? The two performances here are quite engaging as the two characters have to come to terms with a sexuality that maybe wasn’t as “fluid” as either expected before they met. The dialogue mix of English and Spanish flows naturally and the film looks like some effort has gone into the production as it keeps the visuals simple (and occasionally explicit) allowing the personalities to tell us a fairly straightforward, and occasionally quite poignantly written, love story. Worth a watch.

Production companies