A rough town, a silent encounter, and an unrequited longing that overshadows everything. Walt lives in Portland and falls madly in love with Johnny, an underage Mexican immigrant without papers. The language barrier separates them, as do their realities. But Walt clings to his feelings, believing in closeness where there is distance, and loses himself between desire and power imbalance. What begins as a quiet observation develops into an unflinching look at obsession, loneliness, and the failure of intimacy.

MALA NOCHE is Gus Van Sant's uncompromising feature film debut. Shot in 1985 on grainy 16mm film, the film tells of queer desire, ethnic inequality, and social invisibility. A work that remains deliberately raw and direct. Based on the novella of the same name by Walt Curtis, the film won the Independent/Experimental Film Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in 1987.

It received the Festival's Plate at the Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in 1988. MALA NOCHE is considered a cornerstone of the later New Queer Cinema and marks the radical beginning of a directing career that consistently puts outsiders at the center of attention.