This amazing art-house film blew me away. I had been wanting to see it for a while and finally got my paws on a copy. It really shows a different side of being gay, that isn't obviously focused on in mainstream Hollywood and other mainstays of culture. It tackles issues that make a lot of people uncomfortable, like HIV and frivolous behavior.Delighted as I was.. I read in another comment that someone thought the 'interview' style memoirs at the end of the movie were a bad idea. In fact I thought the opposite. They were a brilliant way to close the film, since the ending leaves things wide open. I thought those memoirs tied off just enough of the story leads to complete the ending of the story for me personally.This really is just a happy story of love, compassion and life being life as it stands; difficult and never going the way we want it to. The performance of José Luis García-Pérez really moved me, he portrayed some of my own personal bear friends to a T. David Castillo provided a wonderful performance himself. He really blew me away, the chemistry he and Jose had was beautiful.Whether you're gay, straight, trans-gendered, or neuter, you should see this film.I laughed and cried with this film.

I have recently seen the movie,Bear Cub, aka Cachorro. It's honest, it's true, and it's a refreshing look into the life of a gay bear, Pedro, who must take care of his Sister's son as she goes on vacation with her hippie boyfriend. I like that Cachorro represented gays as normal guys and not the stereotypic Will and Grace type of gay guy we see all the time in Hollywood. I got the unrated version which has some surprisingly explicit sex scenes for a mainstream movie. They were HOT. But the real cream of the crop is within the brilliant child actor who played Bernardo. We have Hailey Joe Osmond, I guess Spain's answer to that is him.

Having just finished "Cachorro", I'm left with goosebumps. There is no way a movie of this depth could have been made in America. The reason being that homosexuality isn't vilified or degraded, and actually shows gay men caring about each other.***Spoilers ahead*** The plot centers around a gay man, Pedro, and HIV positive dentist, who is left in charge with his 9 year old nephew, Bernardo, while his widowed sister heads of to India for a 'vacation'. Instead, she is jailed for drug trafficking and Pedro is put into a precarious situation. He's grown close to his nephew, and has to deal with an estranged grandmother who it seems will stop at nothing to gain custody of the grandchild she never knew.I can't comment on the edited theatrical release, but the DVD release treats gay sexuality in a pretty straightforward manner, no pun intended. There are sex scenes, but they're not out of line with what I'd expect from progressive European cinema. We are instead treated to a closely knit social group who rally behind Pedro and Bernardo. The movie ends neatly with a few surprises that I will not reveal here.There is a strong message of family throughout the movie. We see it in the relationship between Pedro and Bernardo, as well as with the other outstanding cast members. I must say that I was a bit taken aback by the casual drug use in the movie. It's just not my scene, but we do see Pedro move away from them throughout the film.All in all, a wonderful effort by writer/director Miguel Albaladejo. The principal cast is terrific here, led by Jose Luis Garcia Perez as Pedro and David Castillo as Bernardo. What a treat! Recommended!

BEAR CUB introduces many to the concept of the non-traditional gay male: the hairy and chunky variety. It also artfully presents real-life situations for the characters. The relationship between a 'bear' uncle and his young nephew is the main focus, but the film also embraces the concept of male to male relationships (sexual and otherwise), HIV, and extended families. It manages to do all this without becoming maudlin or overly busy. The storytelling aspects of BEAR CUB are sharply honed. The performances are also quite good, especially from the central figures. There is, however, a somewhat lethargic feeling to the proceedings as well. I'm not sure if it is the unremarkable scoring and editing, but the film feels every bit it's 100 minutes. The characters are sometimes painfully earnest and the tone tips towards the self-important a bit too often. Perhaps it was reading the 'Director's Message' about the film that predisposed me toward this view. Also, the pacing of the movie feels a bit too 'even keel' - lacking a sense of momentum to carry us through to the final credits. The DVD 'extra scenes' reveal a highly comic scene at the film's core that might have pepped things up a bit. Whether it was excised for length or sexual content is not made clear. For those who think of Smokey and Yogi at the mention of 'bears' this film will be a real eye-opener. For the bear community it is at least a step (or two) forward.