{"id":4838,"date":"2026-07-24T16:07:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4838"},"modified":"2026-07-24T16:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:07:14","slug":"andres-madrigal-explores-costa-ricas-little-known-queer-history-through-personal-doc-lost-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4838","title":{"rendered":"Andr\u00e9s Madrigal Explores Costa Rica\u2019s Little-Known Queer History Through Personal Doc \u2018Lost Men\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tWhen his grandfather passed away, director Andr\u00e9s Madrigal felt an urge to pick up his camera and capture every possible moment of that immediate grief. This archival impulse would eventually become Madrigal\u2019s feature debut \u201cLost Men,\u201d which has its world premiere at the Costa Rica Film Festival.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Game of Thrones\u2019 Play \u2018The Mad King\u2019 Still Set to Open Next Month Despite Canceling Previews (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe intimate doc chronicles Madrigal\u2019s personal family history in the aftermath of the patriarch\u2019s death. The elderly man, who died in a fire in 2019, was married for 57 years in conservative Costa Rica. Following his passing, the director\u2019s father finally shares a long-kept secret: the Madrigal family head was a closeted gay man. Father and son then recollect a life lived in secret as the filmmaker reflects on his own queerness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking with Variety <\/em>ahead of the film\u2019s premiere, Madrigal says he first had an impulse to make the film as a way of not losing any more memories of his grandfather. \u201c A lot of his writings and memories were gone forever,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt started with that archival and emotional interest to a personal or mostly a familiar extent. I gradually realized this story was shaping up to be something more and that it almost demanded to be told outside of my nuclear family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGiven his desire to bring long-kept family secrets to a very public light, the director and his father spent a long time discussing the logistics and the boundaries of making the film. \u201cThis story touches on many family wounds that were reopened after both my grandparents passed away,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause of that, I decided to work at a production rhythm that allowed both my father and me not only to make the film, but also to process any feelings that might emerge through the telling of this story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI always referred to the interviews as conversations, and we established ground rules, such as stopping whenever either of us felt the need to,\u201d he notes. \u201cWe also approached things gradually, moving from easier topics to more difficult ones. Thankfully, my dad and I already had a very close relationship before making the film, and I think that comes across on screen. We trusted each other deeply throughout the process, and I believe that trust was key to making the film possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile \u201cLost Men\u201d keeps a tight focus on Madrigal\u2019s personal family history, the documentary also briefly delves into the Costa Rican queer scene, with glimpses of the country\u2019s nightlife and the director\u2019s friend circle. Madrigal wanted to explore themes of \u201cqueerness, masculinity and memory\u201d through \u201cthe lens of my family first and foremost,\u201d but felt it was important to portray his country\u2019s queer culture because it felt \u201crepresentative\u201d of him as a character.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was a very conscious decision to include footage of San Jos\u00e9\u2019s queer nightlife,\u201d he says. \u201cI also included elements of my private queer sphere, such as my friends and my ex-partner. Although these aspects are deeply personal, they also reflect broader dimensions of queer life in Costa Rica,\u201d he goes on, noting that he believes in the maxim of \u201cpersonal as political\u201d \u2014 \u201cIn my grandfather\u2019s case, for example, understanding the limitations and complexities of his life also speaks to a broader reality in Costa Rica at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAsked about the challenges of realizing the film, Madrigal mentions the complexities of \u201cunderstanding the delicate balance between telling a deeply personal family story with the care and sensitivity it required, while also separating myself enough to gain perspective and evaluate it as I would any other fiction or scripted project I was directing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more How \u2018Cape Fear,\u2019 Apple TV\u2019s Timely Adaptation, Became Summer\u2019s Grisliest Hit<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt the same time, having to both direct the film and include myself as one more character within the story was definitely daunting at first,\u201d he adds. \u201cWith the help of Luis Diego P\u00e9rez, the film\u2019s editor, we managed to strike that balance between telling a very vulnerable story and remembering that we were ultimately telling it for a broader audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for the joys of the process, the director recalls the thrills of rediscovering his grandfather\u2019s literary work, as well as tightening his relationship with his family, and forming a close bond with the crew. \u201cThere was a great deal of trust between us, and joy and spontaneity were always part of the process. That sense of play became an essential part of how the film was made. I think a lot of the credit for that goes to Sofia Meza Herrera, the film\u2019s producer, who consistently protected and nurtured that atmosphere of safety and care throughout the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCommenting on making \u201cLost Men\u201d as a Costa Rica-Guatemala co-production, Blue Paradox Films producer Sof\u00eda Meza Herrera notes how \u201clucky\u201d she is to be part of a generation of Central American producers \u201csurrounded by new industry opportunities and great mentors who understand both the challenges of filmmaking and the amazing artistic drive within the isthmus.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur industry has been connecting with each other through film festivals and workshops, networking talents from different generations and having international mentors who put in the effort of understanding the Central American panorama to further strengthen our talent,\u201d she adds. \u201cI\u2019ve grown to believe in Central-American Cinema as an alliance without borders. Creating film in this region is inherently political, and sharing our resources to further our opportunities, talent and audiences is as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIn Central America, there are a lot of stories to be told, but few resources to take them to the big screen,\u201d says Felipon D\u00edaz of Guatemala\u2019s 4:4:4 Televisi\u00f3n. \u201cWhen I encountered \u2018Lost Men,\u2019 I connected with Andr\u00e9s and Sof\u00eda, their beautiful energy and the energy of the project, an intimate and personal story that I found necessary to be told in the current times that we are living.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLost Men\u201d is produced by Madrigal and Meza Herrera\u2019s Blue Paradox Films in co-production with Guatemala\u2019s 4:4:4 Televisi\u00f3n, led by Felipon D\u00edaz. The film was supported by Costa Rica\u2019s El Fondo Fauno and the Netherlands\u2019 Prince Claus Seed Award.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Leslie Odom Jr. Returning to \u2018Hamilton\u2019 on West End Tonight After Exiting Mid-Performance<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andr\u00e9s Madrigal’s ‘Lost Men’ delves into Costa Rica’s little-explored queer scene and history through an intimate family secret come to light.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3871,3308,3307,3872],"class_list":["post-4838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-blue-paradox-films","tag-costa-rica-media-market","tag-costa-rica","tag-lost-men"],"yoast_head":"\nAndr\u00e9s Madrigal Explores Costa Rica\u2019s Little-Known Queer History Through Personal Doc \u2018Lost Men\u2019 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4838\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Andr\u00e9s Madrigal Explores Costa Rica\u2019s Little-Known Queer History Through Personal Doc \u2018Lost Men\u2019 - 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