This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat. The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
This film was clearly adopted from a play. The atmosphere, storyline, just three characters and a sordid atmosphere with drama happening in confines of a single room, I bet this would have made for a good stage play. Release in 1969, this is definitely not queer cinema, bit given one of the three main characters is gay, I thought to review it here.
The plot is simple. We are slowly introduced to three characters who live in the slums area in Brazil. An again hooker, who is struggling to get clients, a gay guy who works as a cleaner and the joker's pimp. First 30 minutes show us the routine of these characters without any single dialogue. Drama starts when the pin wakes up and sees missing money from his table. When the prostitute comes it, they fight and he literally beats her up for stealing. She refuses and begs and says that maybe next door gay guy took it because she saw him with another guy. The pimp calls the gay man and beats him him who continuously refuses to have anything to do with it. Eventually he agrees he stole the money and lets the pimp beat him and humiliate him, (which secretly he enjoys). Once he leaves the room, the pimp takes all his anger on the prostitute. There is no reason but he just keeps insulting her for her age and the fact hatch should retire. This goes on.
The film is more around mental torture than physical torture IMO. The film is quite violent despite its confinement into a single room. As monied before the first 30 minutes has no dialogue. The camera tracks through shots of slums and streets, establishing the key characters and defining with great precision their dark and dirty universe. When the trio of protagonists finally enter into the core of dramatic conflict, in visceral and disturbing dialogue exchanges. I am not sure if there is a message here, but its more around abuse, aggression and helplessness in an environment in which feelings and life don't seem to be worth too much. (3/10)

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