Juan Carlos Maldonado in ‘The Prince.’ (Photo courtesy Artsploitation) At first glance, “El Principe” – the new-to-America prison drama from Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Muñoz – might appear to be nothing more than just another entry in a long line of homoerotic fantasies paying homage to a certain fetishized image of hyper-sexualized, violent masculinity that originated generations ago in the underground history of queer culture.
That assessment would not be altogether wrong, but it takes on a new perspective – and acquires a mantle of higher respect – with the knowledge that it won the prestigious “Queer Lion” prize at the Venice Film Festival when it premiered there in 2019.