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...
Jonas picks up his best friend Philip from the airport and they both head for a road trip through the countryside of northeast Germany. We learn later that they met in London and also lived together in a flat for about a year in London. Jonas is a photographer and is looking at this trip to also come up with his next subject. The first half just focuses on this trip with them driving around, swimming naked; basically just pure natural friendly chemistry. They are both quite relaxed with each other and physically close (not sexually). Midway their trip, they pick up a Polish hitchhiker Boris who knows the countryside well. On a drunken night is when we find that Philip is actually gay and may also have some attraction towards Boris. The three are having a good time but attraction between Jonas and Boris is strong and they both hook up. This upsets and irritates Jonas who feels left out and jealous that his friend is having a good time. Out of the blue he kisses Philip passionately, who is completely shocked and blindsided. Philip then asks Boris to leave and the film then ends with Jonas and Philip preparing for the photo exhibition with Philip’s arms around Jonas and tenderly kissing his neck.
As confused and a little frustrated I felt after watching the film, I now feel that director wants us to have our own interpretation about the relationship between the two men. The topic of close friendships between gay and straight males i handled interestingly slightly touching upon whether is there sex in the back of mind always. Even more, does sex define sexuality or is it the emotional connection? The vague ending of the film makes us question if they are now lovers or still friends or both. Are they now sexual or still just physically close but not sexually because we saw Philip kiss Jonas on his lips even before. Is Jonas now gay or bisexual, or is this a case of his falling for an individual rather than falling for men generally? What’s most interesting is that as an audience why do we even care for these answers? Why can’t Jonas be straight but have a very special bond with Philip? Why is that wrong? I personally know of a few such relationships, so trust me, this is entirely possible. Anyway, as I mentioned above, the slow pace of the film may deter a few but the natural chemistry between the two guys is infectious. You feel that these are 2 real close friends on a road trip doing everything that 2 close friends would do; it just so happens that one is gay and the other is straight. Jonas is really good looking too.
This film may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I would recommend to be patient with the film. Let the scenes and chemistry between the characters draw you in and question your own thoughts about stereotypical definitions of sexuality and gay life. (7/10)
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