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When Carlos goes next door to borrow a tool from an upscale gay couple, Gary and James (Tomas' landlords), their sexual orientation seems unclear to him, as if he just takes it for granted they're straight. When they invite him to a housewarming, when he gets drunk and they start to undress him, we wait for an explosion that never comes. He continues for a few weeks in their ménage a trois before having an affair with one of them in particular.

When this betrayal is discovered, Tio Thomas is evicted as a result. Carlos has no leverage to fight back. His only power comes from his sexual relationship with the landlords, but when he truly behaves as a free agent, Gary and James smack him down. They dispense with him and his family, too.

Ironically, Carlos was welcome at Gary and James' gatherings, in contrast to his own culture where he's ostracized. He may have only been appreciated because he's Latino or because he's attractive, but when treated like a pariah elsewhere, acceptance can be very powerful.

Quinceañera is constructed with a great deal of savvy, so it takes a while before we learn, from casual conversation, that Carlos is gay. Carlos doesn't have that horny teen boy, omnisexual vibe. The film doesn't wait to reveal Carlos as gay merely to catch us off-guard. If we knew that from the outset, we would just assume it is the reason he is a pariah. By waiting, we come to understand that his sexuality is just one aspect of Carlos' identity, that there's nothing salient about him to suggest he is part of the queer “family.”

If anything, Carlos' same-gender attraction functions as a component of his machismo. He follows his heart and penis without shame, pursuing his desire to connect with other men. Like Magdalena and Tomas, he makes no effort to conform. Magdalena isn't thrilled with her cousin's orientation, but neither does she treat him like a pervert or freak.

Tio Thomas, the family elder, has no problem with it; he's pleased that Carlos has found a “special friend.” He's lived long enough to take comfort in pragmatic, everyday philosophy, finding respite in the glorious revelation of simply loving everyone.

Quinceañera, at its core, is the fable of Magdalena, Carlos and Tomas, though it touches on a number of lives. By taking us into the heart of a unique Latino community, by using the currency of shared human experience, Westmoreland and Glatzner have forged an understated, poignant narrative, resonant with detail. The Roman Catholic icons, the menudo and peppers, the elaborate paper flowers, candles, colored bottles, men's jackets, the giggling girls and predatory boys all serve to make Quinceañera a rare film.

Of course, Quinceañera raises the issues of economics, racism, assimilation and the roles that religion, tradition, upward mobility and education play in the lives of the characters. But it also challenges preconceived notions of race, income, gender and fate. In Quinceañera we find an unheroic gay hero and erudite, benevolent gay villains. The film shows that you needn't be straight to be virile, you don't have to be male to be independent, and you don't need romance to be fulfilled.

For more info on Quinceañera, go to sonyclassics.com

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