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ANGEL IN RETROGRADE

By Miguel Angel CABALLERO

Drama - Pre-Production 2023

After being diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, Angel, a husband, and father, struggles to remember who he is. As memories return, he realizes he’s been living his entire life in the closet, leading to an encounter with Joshua, an estranged high school friend he was once in love with.

- Year of production
- 2023
- Genres
- Drama, LGBT
- Countries
- USA
- Languages
- ENGLISH-UNITED STATES, SPANISH
- Budget
- 1 - 3 M$
- Duration
- 100 mn
- Director(s)
- Miguel Angel CABALLERO
- Writer(s)
- Miguel Angel CABALLERO, Luis Antonio ALDANA
- Cast
- Adriana BARRAZA
- Producer(s)
- Miguel Angel CABALLERO (Cabaldana Alchemy), Luis Antonio ALDANA (Cabaldana Alchemy), Rafael THOMASETO, Helena SARDINHA (Driven Equation), Rafael THOMASETO (Driven Equation)
- Synopsis
- After a severe car accident, Angel, a 40-year-old Latinx man, is diagnosed with retrograde amnesia and cannot recall the last 20 years of his life. Angel tries to readapt to life with his wife and his teenage daughter, but it all feels contrived as he has no memory of them.
  
  Angel eventually reconnects with his estranged high school friend, Joshua. As their visits become more frequent, a chemical attraction between the two immediately reawakens. One day, the men are no longer able to deny their desire for one another and make passionate love. However, Joshua reveals he's engaged to a woman now and asks that their secret trysts stop.
  
  Angel's desperation mounts as his fractured reality spirals out of control. Upon reaching his emotional and psychological heart of darkness, the elusive memories from the past 20 years come crashing back.
  
  In a brutal flashback, Angel remembers what severed the relationship with Joshua. When they are subjected to a violent, homophobic tirade by their peers at school, teenaged Joshua, confused and scared, savagely beats Angel to prove he's not gay.
  
  Devastated by his recovered memory, Angel dismisses Joshua as a coward for not admitting what transpired between them. Angel eventually comes out to his family and vows never to hide who he is, asserting himself and his true identity with no apologies.
  
  Months later, Joshua reaches out, and Angel finally agrees to meet. In a secluded spot overlooking the L.A. River, their chill-out spot as teenagers, Joshua tells Angel he has broken off his engagement and is reassessing his life. Under the pylons and electrical powerlines that line the river, the men reflect and contemplate forgiveness, redemption, and the possibility of new beginnings.
- Partners & financing
- WarnerMedia 150
- Beginning of shooting
- May 08, 2023