A Father Finds the Words to Mourn His Gay Son in Tu Me Manques Clip

The French certainly have a way with words.

In this exclusive clip from Tu Me Manques, a Bolivian father (Oscar Martinez) struggles to find a way to describe the grief he feels over the loss of his son, a gay man who died by suicide. In response, a friend (Rossy De Palma) lends him a phrase from the French language.

"In French, they don't say 'I miss you.' They say 'Tu me manques.' I miss you in me. As if an essential part of the other is missing in you. ... I prefer that. It's like you're missing a limb or your own blood," they said.

Tu Me Manques was originally a play written by Rodrigo Bellott, whose boyfriend's struggle with his family's homophobia and eventual suicide inspired the story. The production became a box-office and critical hit in Bolivia.

This success led to a best-selling novel and a film directed by Bellott, which will mark its world premiere at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival Saturday. A Broadway show is also forthcoming.

"Tu Me Manques is an exercise in taking your tragedy, your broken heart, your story and turning it into a living force of active social change that aims at people's hearts," Bellott told The Advocate in a statement.

Watch the clip below.