Four Moons is writer-director Sergio Tovar Velarde’s poignant drama about a quartet of gay men grappling with affection and rejection. The film, out on DVD December 2, tells four stories that feature gay men at different stages in life.
The most touching storyline features Fito (Cesar Ramos) and Leo (Gustavo Egelhaaf), two friends who reunite and become lovers, only to have a conflict arise when Leo wants to remain closeted and keep their relationship secret.
Ramos, who is straight, gives an incredibly moving performance in the film as a gay man coming to terms with his same-sex desires. He spoke with me for the San Francisco Bay Times via Skype about making Four Moons.
Gary M. Kramer: How did you get involved in this film?
Cesar Ramos: I met Sergio, the director, at a film festival and developed a friendship. He said he’d like to cast me in his new movie. Was he flirting? Was it a joke? I said OK, let me know. When Sergio started his production, he handed me the script and asked me to do the role of Fito. It was quite risky. I liked the script and the story, and he convinced me of his vision.
Gary M. Kramer: You have a pretty graphic sex scene where Fito and Leo are trying to have anal sex for the first time. It’s awkward and funny and sexy. That couldn’t have been easy to film!
Cesar Ramos: Imagine reading that scene! I was like, Oh, my God! How are we going to shoot that!? There’s no way to get ready. I just found the balls to do it, and I’m proud of it. I love the scene and I’m glad I did it.
Gary M. Kramer: The film plays with various aspects of masculinity, from sissy boys to effeminate men, to guys who aren’t gay (but are paid to be) to Leo who wants to stay closeted. What do you think about the characters and how they are developed?
Cesar Ramos: In the case of the characters of Fito and Leo, we had to work together on the various stages of emotions. It was convenient that Gustavo and I have known each other for ten years. This was his first film. We used our friendship to tell the story and become involved in the characters. We wanted to provide the audience with a love story.
Gary M. Kramer: How did you work on telling the arc of Fito’s story?
Cesar Ramos: He has very human emotions. We’ve all been through the same feelings—of being unloved or unimportant or humiliated—but in different situations. It’s not an alien feeling to me, so I can relate to that. The conflict Fito has with his mother is something many young people experience. I just worked to make the emotions honest.
Gary M. Kramer: What about Fito’s relationship with his mother? The scene where Fito is heartbroken and she comforts him is the most moving scene in the film.
Cesar Ramos: I was embraced by Monica, the actress who played my character’s mom. Every scene we did together was strong. When we shot the scene, I was charged with emotion, and Monica had the right energy. She was very giving, and then it just flowed. We had an intimate moment. She made me feel protected, and we took the wave and rode it. It’s powerful, because she’s made a decision to be there for her son and support and accept him.
Gary M. Kramer: Fito and his mother bond watching telenovelas together. Do you like or watch telenovelas?
Cesar Ramos: Not at all. I did watch them as a kid with my mom. I didn’t go back to them until I wanted to be an actor, and then I saw what the guys did. I did one for teenagers. I tried to do one [later] and it didn’t work out. When I started in the business, I was repulsed by those projects. They are quick, and not as enjoyable as work on a movie. I respect the actors of Mexican telenovelas; it’s a whole genre. It’s just not my genre.
Gary M. Kramer: Leo and Fito have dinner one day. Leo asks Fito what kind of music he likes. What books do you like to read? What would you answer as César to those questions if you were on a date?
Cesar Ramos: [Laughs]. I love music from the ‘50s and ‘60s. The Supremes, Los Panchos, Elvis, of course, the Beatles, and the whole ‘90s crap Alanis, Eminem. Now I like Bon Iver. With Spotify, you click and you discover. Right now, I am reading He’s Back, about Hitler waking up in a park in Germany in 2012. He’s in uniform, and a Turkish guy who owns a kiosk takes him home and gives him a place to live, and then he gets a TV show. It’s a comedy.
Gary M. Kramer: Are you a romantic?
Cesar Ramos: I am. My wife and I both work at home when we’re not making films [she’s in the industry]. Every 30 minutes, I give her kiss and a hug and a little massage. I’m constantly tender. I can’t help it. I wonder if it’s too much. But she says it doesn’t bother her.
© 2014 Gary M. Kramer
Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer
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