Hombres de Piel Dura [Men of Hard Skin] *** (2019, Wall Javier, Germán Tarantino, Claudio Medina) – Classic Movie Review 13,696

The 2019 Argentinian drama film Hombres de Piel Dura [Men of Hard Skin] is a harsh, multi-layered exploration of sex, power and ecclesiastical abuse in Argentine society.

Teenager Ariel (Wall Javier) doesn’t stand a chance, really, does he? Or maybe he is a Man of Hard Skin, strong enough to survive the slings and arrows of his outrageous misfortune. He lives with his controlling, boorish, homophobic father and nice, understanding but remote older sister on their bleak if picturesque farm in a poor rural part of Buenos Aires.

Unknown to his family, Ariel has been abused for years by his neighbourhood priest Omar (Germán Tarantino). Omar pushes Ariel away, perhaps afraid of scandal, perhaps just tired of him, and then a devastated Ariel decides to free himself entirely from their relationship and embarks on an affair with one of the male farmhand workers on his father’s property, which doesn’t stay secret for long.

The quietly desperate boy Ariel doesn’t care about the past abuse, he’s just looking for love, the love he doesn’t get from his father. When the father finds out about farm worker, the father beats him up, fires him and banishes him. The farm worker turns out to be married with a child.

Omar continues to abuse boys, and forms a confessional kind of friendship with a much older priest wrestling with similar desires, which are all in the past though the consequences are in the present, while Ariel eventually finds another new friend/ lover on his troubled journey through life. Ironically the new friend is provided by a young girl prostitute called Zulma (Malena Majul Lieun) whom his father is providing to cure the boy of his homosexuality.

Writer/ director José Celestino Campusano’s 2019 Argentinian drama film Hombres de Piel Dura [Men of Hard Skin] is a harsh, multi-layered exploration of sex, power and ecclesiastical abuse in Argentine society. It is a difficult watch as a complex, challenging, confrontational film, posing many tough questions without offering any answers, taking no prisoners.

Deep, dour, dark and disturbing, it is commandingly and intensely well done, but not for the faint-hearted and most people, maybe everybody, will want to turn away. It is a real turn-off, with hardly a redeeming character in sight. It paints a picture of a desperate world without love, sympathy, empathy or compassion, and offers little hope or redemption, It has no warm or sentimental bones in its aching body.

Nevertheless, once you start watching, you are glued, waiting to see how it all works out for Ariel. It feels ‘real’, running like life, difficult and messy, especially troubled in a society that is as homophobic as it is bisexual. It is a serious film, perhaps too serious, with honourable intentions, pushing the boundaries. There is some strong graphic sex.

Director: José Celestino Campusano.

Writer: José Celestino Campusano.

Cast: Wall Javier, Germán Tarantino, Claudio Medina.

It was shown in the UK on March 24, 2019 at the BFI Flare London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.

It was released in Argentina on June 20, 2019.

Its UK release was cut to obtain an 18 classification.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,696

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