Remember back to your youth when times were simpler and all you had to do was think about what you'd do with your friends that day? Nico and Dani recalls that time in such a believable, carefree, almost naive way that all I could do was smile and enjoy the feeling. They do the normal things guys do like go fishing, hunt rabbits, hang out and party with friends. The actors portraying the characters (Fernando Ramallo as Dani and Jordi Vilches as Nico) even look like two average guys at 16--kind of gangly and skinny, just like I remember being back then. In short, I believed it all from the get-go.

The friendship we see is one that obviously has been built up over many, many past summers and each time I watch the film again, the more I realize just how deep that friendship is and how subtly and naturally it's portrayed. I mean, it would have to be pretty deep given that the two boys frequently have a "Krampack" (mutual masturbation session) to help each other out.

The twist in the film comes when Dani begins to realize at this time of adolescent change that he's falling in love with his best friend Nico, just as Nico is finding out how much he's into girls and anxious to go through his own rites of passage. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it?

The beauty of this Spanish summertime story, though, is that it doesn't turn into an "Afterschool Special", a platform for gay community propaganda, or a ridiculous "American Pie"-like farce. It just continues its dreamy, easygoing pace as we watch the two boys' friendship bend--but not break. There is a wonderful balance of humorous vs. "heavy" scenes (I could watch the scene where they're talking through the bathroom door a thousand times and never tire of it) that allows for changes of mood and pauses for reflection.

By the end, nobody dies, gets put in therapy, beats someone up to prove how "macho" he is, catches a disease, has a huge, dramatic, cry-his-eyes-out scene or other predictable cliché. I was left with nothing but a peaceful, happy feeling that everything would be OK, Nico and Dani would always remain friends and that this film was worth every minute of my life's time I gave up watching it.

For what it's worth, I also dredged up my high school Spanish from the recesses of my memory and--along with my pause control and a Spanish dictionary--went the extra mile to learn what was actually being said and how (English subtitles can only get you so far...). That made a HUGE difference to my understanding (and my own education). I would wholeheartedly recommend you add this to your collection, watch the wonderful interviews with cast and director and give it a few repeat viewings just to glean all the magnificent subtlety from the story.

While not the "Perfect Film" (I'm personally a bit bothered by the boys' habit of answering nearly every important question with "let's smoke a joint", and the soundtrack does strike one as a bit goofy a couple of times), it's nearly there in my book. I think that it will strike a chord in many who have lived through similar circumstances. I would also highly suggest it for STRAIGHT boys who might be in the position of finding out that their best friend is turning out to be gay.

Fantastic acting by the main characters, gorgeous Costa Brava scenery and a compelling story of enduring friendship mean this'll be a film I'll continue to watch over and over again.

Other "Friendship/Growing Up/Coming Out" films I highly suggest: Beautiful Thing, Get Real, Edge of Seventeen (in that order...).

This movie may strike some as trite, simplistic or artificial, but only in the U.S. do we try to believe that our kids aren't thinking about sex all the time. Here is a movie that shows how well such topics could be addressed, without causing moral grief and helping everyone involved grow up just a little more.

My partner and I smiled all the way through and finished the film with a warm feeling of satisfaction. What's wrong with that?