Aristotle & Dante: El Paso Novel Premieres its Film Version this Weekend

El Paso has certainly been a hot topic in films this year! With the whole Blue Beetle location controversy, maybe this next film will help ease the sting a little.

"Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" was published in 2014 and written by El Paso author Benjamin Alire Sáenz. The book in El Paso and tells the story of Aristotle and Dante, living in the Sun CIty in 1987. The books is a bestseller and the film adaptation is set to premiere soon.

The film, which opens on September 8, already has a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has several glowing reviews. Which shouldn't come as a surprise since the book was also a success. The film looks like it closely follows the book. The synopsis goes:

Mexican American teenagers Aristotle Mendoza and Dante Quintana explore their friendship while struggling with racial and ethnic identity, sexuality and family relationships in 1987 El Paso, Texas.

The film is directed by Aitch Alberto and stars Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales as the title characters. Verónica Falcón, Kevin Alejandro, Eva Longoria and Eugenio Derbez also star. The film was produced by Eugenio Derbez, Kyra Sedgwick, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The book is set in El Paso, but is it filmed in El Paso? Well, no. Director Alberto tells LMTOnline that because of Texas's "subpar incentives", the film was mainly shot in Pomona, CA; but there are some shots of El Paso in it- which was important to Alberto:

...when I got to El Paso, there is a palpable artistic energy there that I didn’t imagine. I fell in love with the people of El Paso. That became an important mission for me – to honor and celebrate them.

As for what the author thinks? Saenz tells El Paso Matters:

I’d give it a 9.5 out of 10. It’s a wonderful movie.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe can be seen at El Paso Alamo Drafthouse and Cinemark theaters.