A La Mala

The(ir) Blurb...

When aspiring actress Maria Laura's best friend begs her to flirt with her boyfriend to test his fidelity, Maria finds a lucrative new career. After being hired by women across the city, Maria is given a gig that should be business as usual until she ends up falling head over heels for her latest mark.

This Spanish-language romantic comedy follows Mala, an actress who works as a seductress for extra cash, hired by women to flirt with their partners in a test of the men’s loyalty. She eventually comes to fall in love with someone she was hired to test, who ends their relationship after learning her secret. His assistant and best friend, Alvaro, is openly gay and is clearly flirtatious with several men throughout the film though he never gets a romance of his own. In the end, Alvaro leads the film’s climax as he provides Mala an opportunity to apologize and confess her true feelings. Despite falling into the overused “gay assistant” trope, Alvaro is depicted as an integral character, confident in himself, and accepted by the people in his life. However, the lack of a romantic interest for him in comparison to all the straight central characters was a missed opportunity.

What's with this incessant idea that every gay character has to have a happy ending?!? The film wasn't about him...he's a sidekick, one that will make you grimace more often than not!