In eighth grade, I discovered the novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz at my middle school’s library. I fell out of my love for reading during middle school, and reading the novel helped me find my love for it once more.
The story follows two Mexican-Americans, Aristotle (Ari) and Dante, teens living in El Paso, Texas in 1987. Dante offers to teach Ari how to swim, and from that moment their beautiful friendship begins. Themes of love and loss, pain, anger, and acceptance are explored. The novel never fails to touch my heart each time I re-read it.
Naturally, when I found out the novel was being turned into a film – with Hamilton and In-The-Heights writer Lin Manuel Miranda producing it— I just about freaked. With Max Pelayo playing Ari and Reese Gonzales as Dante, the trailers released for the movie set my expectations extremely high.
After seeing Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe in theaters this weekend, my high expectations were accurately placed.
The movie stuck primarily to the plot of the novel. The movie began with the two boys meeting at the pool, and their characterizations were spot on. Ari is a very closed-off,typical teenage boy, who avoids dealing with his anger issues and family past. Dante, however, wears his heart on his sleeve and loves to love with a contagious passion. His family is very supportive of all of his endeavors and it’s clear to see where Dante gets his loving personality from.
While the pacing at the start of the movie was slow, an accident occurs soon enough that draws the two boys closer, therefore fastening the pace. The scene packed a similar emotional punch as it did in the novel, something that was high on my expectations list.
As previously mentioned, Ari deals with familial issues during and prior to the story’s beginning. . His dad fought in the army and has turned distant because of it. Ari also deals with the absence of his brother who’s in jail, yet the reason for his sentence has stayed hidden by his parents. The way Pelay is able to portray Ari’s loud emotions in a quiet way made it all the more believable.
The depiction of Dante in the movie, however, was a touch different than on paper. On screen, he expressed his sexuality more blatantly than in the novel, though this change is not a poor one. Being queer in El Paso during the 80s was not necessarily accepted, so it was refreshing to see a young boy who openly expressed who he was. Dante was such a lovable character on screen, maybe even more than in the novel, that I couldn’t help but want the best for him and hate seeing the scenes where he was in pain.
Overall, I have very few critiques of the movie. The end scene incorporates some CGI, which seemed out of place.Besides that, and maybe the slow pacing to start, there is little I would change about the movie.
Many movie adaptations struggle to stick to the novel’s storyline, cast star actors that feel authentic to the beloved characters from the book, or simply don’t transition well on screen. Luckily, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe ran into none of these issues.
When my friend and I saw the movie in theaters, we were two of four people there. There has been little buzz about the movie, which is greatly unfortunate, especially when you take into consideration how this movie could positively impact teenagers. While there is homophobia in the movie, Dante and Ari’s main support systems normalize and accept their sexuality freely.
If you’re bored next weekend, I urge you to watch this movie. The actors’ performances, touching storyline, and beautiful cinematography made this movie one that will stick with me for a while.
