I haven't done exhaustive research on the subject, but I daresay that BEAR CUB (CACHORRO) is the first family film ever that begins with a steamily explicit scene of a gay threesome. But then, many things are groundbreaking about this imaginatively charming dramedy from Spanish director/co-writer Luis Miguel Albaladejo (My First Night). Delightfully appealing and consistently entertaining, this domestic fable is also the first major film to deal dramatically with the subculture of gay men known affectionately as "bears", which for the uninitiated refers metaphorically to their natural, unremoved body hair and celebration of normal body types in all sizes and shapes. These aren't the club-kid/supermodel gay men known from the pages of fashion magazines, Will and Grace, and MTV; some are fat, many are bearded, and all of them are average Joes. It is refreshing, perhaps even liberating, to see this long-ignored community portrayed dramatically on screen.

The real genius of BEAR CUB, however, is that is uses this world as a backdrop for another kind of story, one of a fractured family trying to pull itself together anew. Pedro (José Luis García Pérez), a gay dentist with an active social and sexual life, takes in his 9-year-old nephew Bernardo (David Castillo) for a couple weeks while Pedro's widowed sister vacations in India. When she is suddenly arrested abroad, however, it dawns on both Pedro and Bernardo this temporary visit might become a permanent arrangement. As the two struggle to form lasting bonds with each other, Bernardo's estranged grandmother Teresa (Empar Ferrer) shows up to claim her grandchild, forcing a showdown with consequences for everyone involved.

Albaladejo wisely chooses to focus his story on Pedro's rocky transformation from carefree single man to substitute parent. The major question BEAR CUB poses to its audience -- can one remain a sexually realized person while becoming a parent? -- should resonate with everyone who has ever had a child. The film ameliorates its weightier concerns with a deftly light touch, mining the humor of daily routine to great effect. Even Pedro's struggles with propriety are upturned by Bernardo's dry wit; when Pedro admonishes his friend Javi (Mario Arias) about rolling a joint in front of Bernardo, the boy gamely admits to having rolled them before for his mother. The stunned silence that follows is suavely hilarious.

BEAR CUB hinges on the performances of Perez and Castillo, whose scenes together are packed with charm, wit, and tenderness. Perez makes no distinctions in the moral idiosyncrasies of Pedro; whether at the playground with Bernardo or at the bathhouse having sex with numerous partners, Perez creates a stolid, warm personality that audiences will find difficult to dislike. The real shocker, however, is Castillo, who at a very young age is able to act better than most performers triple his age. In the film's final moments, as he tries to bring the disparate elements of his family into a cohesive whole, Castillo is simply heartbreaking.

BEAR CUB may have trouble finding an audience -- family filmgoers will balk at its fearless sexuality, while art house audiences may shie away from its domesticity. But for those valiant few who search out its pleasures, Albaladejo's film will reward them with its complex, finely woven tale of nontraditional family. Such enjoyments are far too rare; find this film, and give yourself the treat of a massive bear hug.

-- Gabriel Shanks

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