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On The Sea (UK)

By Golu
This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
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Rosa Morena (Portuguese/Danish)

By Golu
This film was such a pleasant surprise. Having known nothing about the film, I was looking forward to actually another bad gay film but man was I proved wrong! And I am so glad that I was. I have watched  a few films about gay men trying for adoption and surprisingly they have all been made very well. This is yet another film falling in similar genre, again handled with lot of sensitivity, grace and realism.

Thomas, is a single gay man from Denmark. When he is unable to adopt a child in his home country legally, he comes up with an alternate plan. He visits his close friends family in Brazil hoping to explore the possibility of bringing back a child. He meets lawyers but there is apparently no direct ay to do this. A lawyer even suggests him to may be lure a poor woman with some money to buy the child. Thomas' friend very strongly try to reason with him son how he is being silly but Thomas is so bestowed with the idea of bring back home a child, he really doesn't care. He meets Maria through some contacts. She is beautiful, charming woman with 3 kids already, unmarried, lives with her sister and her husband in slums and is pregnant again with no money to support her unborn baby. The plan is simple, Thomas will pay Maria and bring her baby to his native country. But when do plans ever fall in place. Before you realize Thomas begins to get more and more involved in Maria's everyday life before and after the child is born. To the extent that he gets a small flat and moves in slums with Maria and her family to take care of the child. All this time his lawyer keeps reminding him to ask Maria to sign legal papers but she keeps finding excuses to not do so. Thomas doesn't mind this either because he also has fallen for Maria and is even having physical relations with her. Maria feels spoilt with all the money she is getting from Thomas and changes her mind to give the baby to Thomas. When Thomas finally begins to realize whats going on, he decides to steal the baby and take with him. He almost does it, when he realizes it is not right and returns the baby after the slum dwellers beat him up. Eventually time passes and Thomas is heart broken. Maria eventually changes her mind and gives the baby to Thomas.

From a story's perspective, the story seems lame and predictable. So what!! there is so much more in the film. The film is emotional, delicate and real, very real. Acting by Thomas is world class. Its just brilliant. Any gay man or couple who years to adopt a kid will be able to really connect with his character. Maria's character also goes through a lots of ups and downs, which in my opinion is very humane and real. How can a mother ever be so sure to give up her baby. She goes through similar doubts in her mind and doesn't want Thomas to leave because with him, now she has the perfect family she always dreamt of. All the shooting locations are spot on.

This is definitely movie that deserves a wider release and a bigger audience. (7/10)
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