A Revry original, Unconventional is a really well-liked queer dramedy that feels totally different from the usual stuff. The heart of the story is about two pretty eccentric queer siblings and their partners trying to build a family that doesn't follow the traditional rules. It takes a super raw and unfiltered look at queer life, diving deep into things like mental health, addiction, and how complicated identity and relationships can get. It’s not afraid to get messy or show people at their most vulnerable, and it really pushes boundaries while showing a lot of different queer experiences. The first season has nine episodes, and each one is about a half-hour long. The story centers on Noah, a grad student who’s been struggling for years to wrap up his PhD. He’s been with his husband, Dan, for nine years, and they’ve recently gotten married and moved to Palm Springs. While they're trying to figure out how to start a family and have a baby, they decide to shake things up by in...
Andrej is an 18 year old, whose life is around alcohol, parties and self-isolation. When his sexuality is challenged by a girl, he gets more violent. His mother has had enough and as a last chance, he is sent to a detention center where he and other delinquent boy-men are boarded during the week. But the environment only encourages Andrej's risk taking acts. He meets Zele and his side kick, the self appointed thug leader whom everyone fears because of his violence streak. When Zele realizes that Andrej is quite strong, he takes him under his wing. This means the trio spend weekends together running amok, robbing people, stealing cars, doing drugs and girls. We slowly start to see that Andrej may have hidden feelings for Zele and one night while partying Andrej and Zele sleep together. Zele realizes Andrej's fascination for him but forces Andrej to collect debts on his behalf. Zele continues to use his charm but soon Andrej realizes that something is off and refuses to budge. This pisses off Zele and he uploads one of the kissing videos of him on facebook and kills his rat, the only thing that Andrej selflessly loves. An angry Andrej gets cooled off only beating the crap out Zele.
The film initially focuses on expectations of masculinity, being part of the gang with the secret world but slowly the makers reveal the sexual exploration, crime, boundaries, power play and rebellion. Andrej has a magical charm about him. He is violent, but that smile and animalistic charisma draws you into him. And this exact quality about Zele is what attracts Andrej to him. I was thinking this will not end well, but I was happy to see that Andrej finally sees the real picture about Zele. That doesn't mean Andrej is going to improve but at least he begins to see the bullshit that Zele has been pulling through. Andrej is just amazing as an actor and so is Zele. He plays the manipulative character to the T. The film is dark and gritty and raw. Only after i saw a short clip of the director, did I realize that homosexuality is still not a widely accepted thing in Slovenia. And then it made sense of why Andrej may want to stay in closet after all.
The film is not afraid to deal head on with the complex issues of a young male also struggling with his sexuality and social acceptance. But is there a message that the makers are trying to show, I don't know. What I know is that the film makes for a very interesting watch. (7/10)
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