On the Road (Spanish: En el camino) is a 2025 Mexican-British thriller drama film written and directed by David Pablos.[1] It stars Victor Prieto and Osvaldo Sanchez.
Veneno, a young hustler who trades sexual favors to gay men for money at a roadside diner. One day he meets Muñeco, an older truck driver passing through the area, and joins Muñeco on his journey, with the two men falling in love as they are pursued by figures from Veneno's past.[1]
The film has been acquired for commercial distribution by I Wonder Pictures.[5]
Awards
At Venice, it won the award for best film in the Orizzonti program,[6] as well as the Queer Lion for best LGBTQ-themed film.[7]
Critical response
Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "What’s most impressive is how On the Road turns a boilerplate genre scenario — and one that doesn’t skimp on a bloodbath at the end — into a movie that grows increasingly emotional as things get exponentially worse for its main characters. The more Veneno and Muñeco are in danger, the more their bond evolves from a hard-knocks bromance into an all-out romance. When things are at their most desperate, the two hide out in an abandoned warehouse and slow-dance to the Colombian ballad “Los Caminos de la Vida” (“The Trucks of Life”) in one of the most moving sequences seen this year in Venice."[1]
For the International Cinephile Society, Matthew Joseph Jenner wrote that "En el camino is yet another compelling entry into this ongoing era of challenging, provocative queer films that set out to redefine certain perceptions around identity and how it manifests both on screen and in the surrounding discussions. The film blurs sensuality with the looming thread of danger, which is something that the director does not neglect, especially in the portions where it seems like he is commenting critically on themes much deeper than we’d expect from a cursory glance. It may contain a lot of passion, but it’s far from a romance, particularly in how it shows that queerness can come with an inherent risk in some communities, something that Pablos makes sure to emphasise without making the film a heavy-handed cautionary tale."[8]
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