Set in early 90s Cuba, Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s coming-of-age drama, Los Frikis, is centered around a group of punk rockers who are in search of freedom. In 1961, Fidel Castro banned rock music in Cuba, but that didn’t stop youngsters from exploring the music behind closed doors. The anti-communist rock and roll lovers found their safe haven in underground clubs where they met like-minded people and played music. The scarcity of food and housing and the overall lack of free will pushed many youngsters to the edge. The AIDS epidemic was on the rise, and when the youngsters discovered that the sanitariums provided food and shelter, they wondered if getting sick was the only option they had left to live a dignified life.

Spoiler Alert

Why did Gustavo fake his illness?

Gustavo’s only family was his older brother, Paco, after their father was shot for disobeying the authorities.