Drunken Noodles by Lucio Castro

A Freely-Woven Narrative, Off the Beaten Path

With Drunken Noodles, Lucio Castro deepens his exploration of intimate, unconventional storytelling—an approach he began with the acclaimed End of the Century. Rather than following a traditional narrative structure, Castro crafts a sensory journey, more dreamscape than screenplay. Events unfold not in a predictable sequence, but as delicate, interwoven fragments. The film resists easy summarization, focusing instead on evoking emotions and impressions. It encourages the viewer to surrender to its visual and emotional poetry, moving effortlessly through moments of beauty, ambiguity, and reflection.

A Magnetic Central Character

At the heart of this drifting narrative is Adnan, an art student portrayed with quiet magnetism by Laith Khalifeh. The film begins as he works in an art gallery, assisting an artist whose work blends painting and embroidery into vivid, suggestive pieces. The story gradually unfolds around three pivotal encounters, each offering its own emotional tone and intensity—sometimes tender, sometimes sensual, but always charged with intimacy. These meetings, far from formulaic, construct the layered portrait of a young man navigating his need for connection, identity, and meaning.

An Impressionistic, Emotionally-Aware Direction

Castro’s direction is delicate and tactile, whether filming the streets of New York or more natural, tranquil settings. Ambient sounds, loaded silences, and painterly compositions bring each frame to life. His use of visual language sketches an impressionistic atmosphere that bridges photography, visual art, and cinema. The result is a collection of visual vignettes—each one a living tableau, steeped in melancholy and emotional resonance.

Between Dream and Reality, a Sensory Tapestry

Drunken Noodles moves fluently between the everyday and the surreal, blurring reality and fantasy. The film’s intimate scenes are handled with finesse and subtlety, contributing to an overall tone that’s sensual but never voyeuristic. The narrative feels like a living, breathing map of desire, memory, and aesthetics—an inner world constantly shifting, shaped by art and emotion. Castro delivers a film that lingers long after its final frame, both for its visual richness and the tender melancholy it inspires.

Key Details

Year of production: 2025
Festival Selection: ACID – Cannes Film Festival 2025
Distribution: No official release date in France yet, but the film is slated to appear at various LGBT film festivals—definitely worth keeping on your radar.