‘Aristotle and Dante’ Director Wants Her LGBTQ Love Story to Be ‘Relatable Across the Board’ (Exclusive)

Director Aitch Albert’s new film tells a story not usually seen on the big screen, but the themes are “universal” to everyone, she says.

Based on the 2012 YA novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe is a coming-of-age story about 15-year-old Aristotle (Max Pelayo) who has accepted that he is not good at making friends. Until one summer she meets Dante (Reese Gonzales) and their unique friendship gradually develops.

Alberto, who also wrote the screenplay, tells PEOPLE that she approached the film through “a lens that feels gentle, especially when it comes to Latin stories in a way we haven’t seen before.”

“I wanted to do this because it plays with the tropes that we’ve seen and the stereotypes that we’ve seen. I just refuse to play into that,” says Alberto. “It’s not a job I want to put out into the world.”

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Max Pelayo in “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”.

Darren Michaels, SMPSP for No Light Pollution

The film deals with themes of violence and bullying, but Alberto was careful not to “perpetuate trauma pornography in a way that we’ve seen over and over again,” she says. Her intention, instead, was to present a relatable discovery film that was “not simple” in the way that other films on the subject tend to be.

“It’s time to start pushing that narrative,” she says, “redefining these things to reflect the world we live in and just give people a different option for how they can look at themselves, how parents can look at their kids.”

Max Pelayo, Aitch Alberto and Reese Gonzales at Outfest 2023 Opening Night Gala on July 13, 2023 in Los Angeles.

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Alberto says it has “something for everyone”. Aristotle and Dante which is proven by the different responses that the audience expressed to her after the screenings.

“Everyone has such an individual experience in the story, which is such a compliment because it means it’s universal – people I don’t think were aware they could relate to some aspect of this. It’s a reflection of the painful journey of self-discovery growing up, which I think that it can be connected in its entirety,” she says. “That was really nice to see.”

Produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Aristotle and Dante also stars Eva Longoria and Kevin Alejandro as Dante’s mom and dad, plus Eugenio Derbez and Veronica Falcón as Aristotle’s parents.

Reese Gonzales in “Aristotle and Dante Uncover the Secrets of the Universe.”

Darren Michaels, SMPSP for No Light Pollution

Although Alberto recognizes the universality of the project, it has not lost the impact of his pioneering presentation. The director calls the film “important and urgent,” especially since some segments of society are taking measures to silence and ban LGBTQ stories.

“People are hungry to see themselves, to see a version of themselves on the big screen,” she says. “This is a story about people we don’t often see on screen. This is a story made by people we don’t often see behind the camera.”

Alberto, who is transgender, says she “went through my difficult journey while making this film.” That personal self-revelation was “so important to do in order to be fully able to approach this story specifically with a lens that is rooted in love.”

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These characters, she says, are “a celebration of the nuance of my own lived experience.”

“It’s also an important moment for me to sit in this chair,” says Alberto. “… [This movie] urges people to dream bigger and not limit their aspirations. I refuse to let my identity hold me back in any aspect of what I want to be or who I want to be and what I want to do in the world. I hope it’s also inspiring for people now.”

Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe is in theaters on Friday.

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Source: HIS Education