The direction is quiet yet striking in the way it captures the emotional bonds made throughout the film, particularly in its intimate scenes of passion between José and Luis.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 5, 2022

This portrayal of romantic disillusion still resonates with a good slice of honesty in defiance to an imperfect editing and some forgivable structural irregularities.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 4, 2021

José's familiar dilemma invites empathy through newcomer Enrique Salanic's complex, subtle performance.

| May 14, 2020

"José" brings to light the promise of a director as compassionate as he is observant.

| Feb 18, 2020

It's an evocative movie... The big problem I have is that José as a character is a bit of a blank.

| Feb 15, 2020

José is brutally honest about sex in a way movies seldom are. The alternately sweaty-palmed and lackadaisical buildup of online hookups, as well as the occasional, inevitable deflating disappointment of such trysts are captured just as they happen.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 8, 2020

The satisfactions of "José" as a whole offers are considerable, and they begin with the human element.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 7, 2020

"José" is hardly the first movie to spotlight a young person navigating their homosexuality... Nonetheless... this sophomore feature.. feels like a singular and essential entry in that subset of LGBTQ coming-of-age films with an international beat.

| Feb 7, 2020

Li Cheng's sophomore effort is a quiet, almost neo-realist, look into life as a young gay man in conservative Guatemala that's as beautiful as it is moving.

| Jan 31, 2020

The film delicately depicts the hardship of being gay in a Catholic culture and the pressure for machismo in a crime-ridden country.

| Jan 30, 2020

As opposed to numerous gay-themed features from Latin America, the consequences for his characters are not violent. That's not because hatred has subsided, but because the pair has learned to suppress in order to survive.

| Jan 29, 2020

Li Cheng gets much closer to capturing his characters' predicaments when he trusts the images alone.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 27, 2020

A slow-burning and mildly engaging coming-of-age drama that's not quite as powerful nor moving as it could have been.

| Original Score: 6.00822/10 | Jan 24, 2020

[A]chingly beautiful. Audiences feel every emotion as the lens...captures the grittiness of Guatemala City, the sweat of the men's bodies and the palpable sense of despair.... A rich, involving film, "José" is not to be missed.

| May 31, 2019

The near-silent protagonist is a frustrating and distancing art-house cliché.

| Original Score: 2/5 | May 24, 2019

Cheng's sophomore feature unfolds in episodic fashion, allowing the filmmaker to focus on quotidian interactions between his protagonist and those he cares about.

| Apr 19, 2019

It makes a fascinating companion to fellow queer Guatemalan film, Temblores.

| Apr 9, 2019

Earthy and honest... Both Salanic and Herrera deliver such off-handed performances that the audience often feels like voyeurs.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 28, 2019

Cheng's touching debut was made after years of research into the gay networks of South America, and the effort shows in a quiet, reflective film.

| Feb 28, 2019

Although the story is slight, Cheng treats the subject matter with care, allowing a slow but certain heat to build between José and Luis

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 6, 2018