Dark Blue Almost Black 2006

Jorge Quim Gutiérrez is a young man whose plans for the future are put on hold when his father, Andrés Héctor Colomé, suffers a stroke. For seven years, he becomes the quiet backbone of care and duty, balancing long hours as a janitor with part-time studies toward a business degree. His world shrinks into routines: tending to his ailing father, keeping up appearances, and quietly managing the weight of responsibilities that seem to define his life.

When Natalia Marta Etura returns from studying abroad, Jorge senses a pull toward something better than the steady grind of his current life. Natalia’s arrival stirs a longing for change, but the job market remains unkind to someone with his limited experience beyond janitorial work. The prospect of a different path gleams briefly, only to fade under the practical realities of his world, where opportunity feels scarce and progress feels slow.

Antonio Antonio de la Torre, Jorge’s older brother, has just left prison. An opportunist by instinct, he has never gotten along with their father, and his release sets off a new set of tensions and schemes. In prison, Antonio encounters Paula Marta Aledo, a striking young woman incarcerated on drug charges. Paula has a desperate plan to move toward safety: she wants to become pregnant so she can be transferred to the maternity ward. Antonio initially pursues only his own desire, but he soon finds himself drawn to Paula and wants to help—only to learn that he is sterile, complicating his intentions and the ethics of their situation.

After Antonio is released, he leans on Jorge’s sense of loyalty to press him into a dangerous triangle. He asks Jorge to step in during conjugal visits to help Paula become pregnant, a request that tests Jorge’s limits and threatens to upend his cautious, predictable life. This is not just about helping a girlfriend; it is about risking the fragile balance of his relationship with Natalia and the steady, if unfulfilling, life he has built.

Israel Raúl Arévalo is Jorge’s best friend, a presence who begins with a moral gray area that quickly spirals into a personal crisis. He secretly photographs men visiting an erotic masseur and discovers that his own father is among the clients, a revelation that exposes hypocrisy and awakens questions about his father’s sexuality. The temptation to use this knowledge to strip away the family’s pretenses leads Israel down a dangerous path of anonymous blackmail, even as he confronts his own insecurities and grows uneasy about his father’s influence.

The family becomes a focal point for tension and hypocrisy, and Israel’s arc mirrors the broader questions about identity and truth. As he grapples with what he’s learned, his actions force him to confront not just his parents’ secrets but his own sense of self, seeking a sense of peace that had eluded him.

Jorge’s life begins to tilt in unexpected directions. Natalia’s attempts to help him find a better job backfire when she can only secure a janitor position for him, underscoring how hard it is for him to break free from his established role. Meanwhile, Antonio uncovers a secret bank account belonging to their father, a discovery that adds a new layer of motive and pressure to everyone’s choices and loyalties.

Despite the complications, Jorge makes regular face-to-face visits to Paula in the women’s prison to carry out his brother’s wishes, and in the process he finds himself drawn to Paula. Their relationship deepens in a way neither of them anticipated, and Paula’s pregnancy becomes a catalyst for change. Through Paula, Jorge learns to stop carrying the entire burden on his shoulders and to recognize his own desires and needs, even if they diverge from what society or family expects.

The emotional turning point comes when Jorge ends his relationship with Natalia and commits to waiting for Paula’s release. The bond between Jorge and Antonio remains, even as they navigate the consequences of their decisions. Antonio’s scheme to retrieve his father’s money falters, adding to the sense that fate is steering the brothers toward a different path.

Israel’s journey reaches a fragile resolution as he confronts his parents and his own sexuality, searching for a measure of peace that had eluded him. For Jorge and Paula, life moves forward with the news of a baby daughter, and Jorge makes a decisive shift: he leaves the building he has called home for years and accepts a new opportunity as a janitor, signaling a fresh start and a willingness to redefine what success means for him.

In the final moments, the image of a dark blue suit becomes a symbol of possibility. Dreaming of a chance to reinvent himself, Jorge takes bold steps: he borrows Israel’s car, breaks a storefront window, and walks away with the coveted suit, a visual echo of choosing a life that aligns more closely with his own aspirations than with the expectations of others. The film closes on a note of cautious optimism: a man reshaping his future, one stubborn step at a time, with a family’s complicated web of love, loyalty, and longing propelling him toward a life that finally feels like his own.