Skip to main content

Being at Home with Claude (Canadian French)

By Golu
This one falls into that darker corner of gay cinema. There was real potential buried in here, but the execution feels so flat that at points it plays out more like a filmed stage play than an actual movie. It's a dark psychological drama built around a street hustler confessing to a brutal, confusing murder of his own lover. Black and white flashback sequences do a solid job laying out the details of what happened, but the real focus stays on the dialogue and the writing itself. Right at the start, a young hustler has already killed his male lover Claude. Three days go by before he calls the police to turn himself in for the murder. But instead of just reporting it somewhere ordinary, he actually summons the police and the local press directly into a judge's private chambers. Yves has keys to the place, which tracks given what he does for a living, but having the press waiting right outside makes the whole scene look like some elaborate blackmail scheme against the judge. The ...
Post a Comment

Comme un frère (French) [Like a Brother]

By Golu
Most of the French gay films that I have seen so far have actually been pretty decent buy this one was confusing and had a very very abrupt ending. It actually takes a while for the viewer to realize that the film is going parallel in 2 time zones: the character's present and past.

Young Sebastien aka Zack is with his boyfriend remembering his birthday a year ago when he moved to Paris. The film goes in flashback(s) when Sebastien lived in the small coastal town where he doted on his best friend Romain. Despite Romain's devotion and physical closeness to Sébastien, Romain is in love with Sophie. Sébastien loves Romain and while the two have some beautifully tender moments together, Romain is not the gay boy Sébastien needs. He then leaves college and moves to Paris with his father who is fully supportive of his son being gay. Sebastien changes his name to Zack begins to visit clubs and eventually is absorbed into the gay life, yet he still dreams of Romain. After months pass and Zack is in a comfortable relationship, Romain comes to Paris and the two now young men meet in a park. Where does this union lead to is completely left to viewers imagination.

Like I mentioned before, the movie flips between past and present without much concern for our keeping up with the story. In fact, the jumping around is a reflection of the boy's state of mind. But it doesn't work for me. I would rather just watch a simple film with beautiful emotions. Romain was pretty good looking and did his part well. It was a little confusing as to why he wanted to be really close to Zack (to the extent of kissing him).

Just an alright film. Doesn't work for me. (2/10)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tuxedo (Thai Series)

By Golu
When I saw this series with 8 episodes of about 20-25 minutes each, I thought, good: Finally someone has come to senses and made a show which is not stretched out and they have tried to squeeze in a decent storyline in a good small episode format. But unfortunately, despite a decent premise on hand, the clunky writing, bad screenplay and an extreme tasteless portrayal of mental illness makes this show, not a fun watch. By the time it finishes, you just want to laugh off at the entire absurdity of it all. Aioun is talented tuxedo designer and very much in demand but he has handful of clients and he builds suits only for people who he feels a connection to. One night when his younger brother is about to get mugged, he is helped by a total stranger named Sichol. Since he tears his suit in the fight and has an interview the next day, Aioun gifts him a suit form his design as an expression of thanks. Sichol's interview is for. Personal assistant of a man named Nawee, a wealthy heir to h...
25 comments
Read more

Heartstopper: Season 2 (Web Series) (UK)

By Golu
Heartstopper Season 1 was a universal hit. You could not have read one bad review or heard from anyone who has seen the show not liking it. It was the kind of series that is easy to love, with sweetness exploding out of every scene without overwhelming you. So naturally, when Netflix greenly Season 2, expectations were naturally high and the same happened with me. I didn't know what to expect, but I had high expectations of this very very sweet teenage love story. And with eagerness and being a little late to the game by a few days, here I am, pouring my t thoughts down having just finished one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The second season also has 10 episodes and has all of our loved ones from the original season. The show continues from where it had left off in Season 1. Charlie and Nick are a couple and only their very close circle of friends know about it. This includes Charlie's best friend Tao and his trans best friend Elle. The center of the show is still ...
19 comments
Read more

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Filipino Series) [Like In The Movies]

By Golu
Pinoy BL series seem to be catching up to the popularity of the Thai shows. And I must say that they are doing a pretty good job at it. Where Thai series started to get repetitive with so many shows based in a college setting with seemingly similar storylines, Pinoy series are offering the viewers with new and interesting stories and some really good sets and surroundings. This series was 8 episodes of about 25-20 minutes each. Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for th...
23 comments
Read more