The prison of respectability can fundamentally alter us. Machismo and the need to fulfill a certain kind of Latinidad to appease society can drive a wedge that keeps us from connecting with our true selves. Desire becomes disconnected, and repression takes hold. Night Stage, a Brazilian erotic thriller from directors Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher, considers the prison of respectability and its consequences through the story of Matias (Gabriel Faryas), Fabio (Henrique Barreira), and Rafael (Cirillo Luna). Matias and Fabio are frenemy roommates and actors competing professionally both in their shared theater troupe and for a chance at a larger kind of fame on a TV show. Matias meets Rafael via a hookup app. What starts as a discreet tryst quickly becomes something much more fraught as the pair discover their passion for each other and their exhibitionist tendencies, even though Rafael is in the running to be the city’s next mayor.

Night Stage is more than the salaciousness of its story would have you believe, while being unabashedly unapologetic about its reckless sexuality. Scenes with Matias and Rafael are electric, with the desire flowing between the two men even when they aren’t tangled up in each other’s embrace. The performances from Farya and Luna are stunning, with Faryas in particular doing brilliant work as Matias.

At the beginning of the film, Matias is an out and proud gay man, unafraid to dress as femme or fluidly as he pleases. As the film continues, however, and Matias gets closer to the fame and respect he so desires, his style becomes more subdued. Faryas matches this downgrade in expression through Matias’ mannerisms and his increasingly closeted nature. He goes from wearing colorful, fitted shirts to drab polos and slacks.

Rafael, played by Luna, is similarly trapped because of his position as a mayoral candidate. While he can’t stay away from the undeniable connection he and Matias share, he has to maintain appearances, even if just barely. In one memorable moment, Rafael takes a meeting with important campaign investors while receiving a steamy FaceTime call from Matias. The threat of discovery is palpable, with only Rafael’s placement of his phone slightly underneath the wooden meeting room table blocking the participants from seeing what is really keeping the politician’s attention. It’s thrilling, and Luna plays the scene with a mix of fear and titillation – exactly what it calls for.

Both of these performances, along with the larger story of Night Stage, help weave a tale of forsaking your true self for the sake of respectability. Fabio, Matias’s frenemy and roommate, adds an interesting dimension as well: Fabio fits into all the right boxes of Latine masculinity and respectability. He’s strong, heterosexual, and benefits from not straying from those two descriptors in any wild or meaningful way.

He’s initially offered a “womanizer” role in a TV series, clearly getting the opportunity based on his appearance and ability to adhere to Latine expectations of masculinity. When Matias swoops in to try to claim the role for himself, Fabio is forced to see someone who deviates from the norm take what was so easily given to him. Fabio’s reaction to all this has dire consequences for himself, Rafael, and Matias.

Ultimately, while Night Stage knows respectability, for all of its apparent advantages, is a prison. As Matias sacrifices more of himself for the role and Rafael does the same in the name of his political career, they couldn’t be more miserable. The film is clear – breaking free of this prison, even if it costs you everything, is always worth it.

Without spoiling too much, the final moments of Night Stage are deliciously unhinged, letting Matias and Rafael finally embrace their true nature, even if they are simultaneously burning down everything they’ve worked for. They defeat machismo and respectability by finally reuniting and embracing their true nature. Matias and Rafael find bliss in the chaos and invite us to do the same.

Night Stage is screening at the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival on October 2. Film screened for review at Fantastic Fest 2025.