Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...
Sasha, is a closet gay teenager of Montenegrin-German origin who returns from holiday in Montenegro back to Germany only to find that his Piano teacher, Gebhard is moving to Vienna to take a teaching position which break's Sasha's heart, since he has a massive crush on Gebhard. His best girl friend Jiao, of Chinese origin is in love with him and when Sasha tells her he has gay and how Gebhard is moving away, she gets a shock too. In the mix we have Sasha's younger brother who has a massive crush on Jiao. a rodeo swaggering gun toting Dad, a Mom who is the calm in the maelstrom and an uncle – brought back from Montenegro – to fix the new bathroom and also as comic relief. What follows are some hilarious yet dramatic moments. The brother starts courting Jiao, which the father doesn't approve, the mother is pushing her dreams on Sasha to become a piano expert, but all Sasha wants is for Gebhard to not move. On his last night in town, Sasha shows up this place and the two spend time together making Sasha feel he is finally in love. But for Gebhard that was a one night stand and finally Sasha wakes up to realities of life. In dramatic yet funny in its own way climax, Sasha's father comes to term with Sasha's sexuality after a few months and hopefully things are going to be better for Sasha too.
Sasha is a dryly funny and intensely emotional study of a young man at odds with his narrow-minded family and frustrating homosexual feelings. Its depiction of a disintegrating family – the film focuses not only on Sasha’s complex and bewildering situation, but equally on the relationship between his mother and uncultured father – is a lesson for everyone, whether gay or straight, on the importance of communication and acceptance. The way this all is depicted feels very real. The typical gay stereotypes of a quasi girlfriend, one night stand, gay bars; are all present but these are thankfully never allowed to overshadow the main essence of the story, Sasha’s acceptance both by himself and by his family. This is the feel-good sentiment that this film delivers. Performances by every single actor, with a role short or long, is flawless and thats speaks volumes about the story and the confidence the director had in the script. And let's quickly talk about the music. Normally, I don't even care, but despite the songs being n the background, they were al pretty darn amazing. It just blends seamlessly with the proceedings resulting in a lush and atmospheric ode to forgiveness. No single person is made out to be a monster or bad guy and are all humanized despite the flaws they may have. The film doesn't condone prejudices either, showing that parental love can be a complex notion.
It is a film about acceptance, sexual frustration, the generation gap, and the destructive nature of bigotry. This is not a great film by any means, but this nice little family drama/comedy is very enjoyable and entertaining thanks to some wonderful performances and a tight script. (8/10)
Comments