Mala Noche

Mala Noche

If you fuck with the bull, you get the horn!

Directed by Gus Van Sant

198775 min6.1 / 10

A raw, melancholic portrait of obsessive desire and sexual awakening set among Portland's marginalized underbelly, where longing and class barriers collide.

Walt is a lonely convenience store clerk who has fallen in love with a Mexican migrant worker named Johnny. Though Walt has little in common with the object of his affections — including a shared language — his desire to possess Johnny prompts a sexual awakening that results in a tangled love triangle.

Questions people ask

  • Is Mala Noche sad? Yes, very. More sad than 91% of films.

  • Does Mala Noche end with hope? Barely. Less hopeful than 83% of films.

  • Is Mala Noche scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 67% of films.

  • Is Mala Noche easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 61% of films.

  • Is Mala Noche violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

Written about

38/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

You have seen this shape before.

Rarity50

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise42

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love25

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like Mala Noche

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Mala Noche

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Mala Noche, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Mala Noche, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Mala Noche, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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