𝑬𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒔 (2016)
Starring: Ignacio Rogers (Matthew), Renzo Piñeiro (Jeremiah), Justina Bustos (Anna)
Genre: Romantic Drama, LGBTQ+, Coming-of-Age
Director: Papu Curotto
Rating: ★★★★☆
Esteros (2016) is a sun-soaked, heart-aching love story that lingers like a summer memory—bittersweet, beautiful, and quietly devastating. With delicate direction and deeply felt performances, it explores the pull of a first love long buried but never forgotten.
Set in the lush wetlands of northern Argentina, the story follows Matthew, a reserved but successful city-dweller who returns to his hometown for a short visit. There, he unexpectedly reunites with Jeremiah, his childhood best friend—and first love. What begins as an awkward reconnection slowly unfolds into something far more tender and complex.
Their chemistry is palpable, restrained by time, distance, and unspoken wounds. Ignacio Rogers and Renzo Piñeiro bring soul and subtlety to their roles, expressing everything with the smallest of gestures—a lingering look, a hesitant smile, a brush of the hand.
Anna, played by Justina Bustos, is more than just the third corner of the triangle. She’s Matthew’s current girlfriend, caught in the silent unraveling of a relationship neither wants to admit is drifting. Her character adds emotional stakes and moral nuance, never reduced to a simple obstacle.
Director Papu Curotto paints the film in soft light and long silences, letting the scenery—wide fields, faded houses, and the iconic estuaries—mirror the characters’ internal landscapes. The pace is slow and poetic, inviting viewers to feel rather than judge.
The flashbacks to the boys’ youth are particularly affecting, capturing the innocence, confusion, and urgency of first love. And as the past crashes into the present, the question lingers: Is love that never fully bloomed still real? And can it survive time?
Verdict:
Esteros is a gentle, melancholic meditation on identity, memory, and the roads not taken. It’s not just about romance—it’s about the longing to return to the place where everything felt simple, even if only for a moment.
