No Dogs Allowed (German)

Oh man! This film is not an easy watch. The topic of paedophilia is a tough sell, especially stories centered around the paedophile’s POV, no matter how sensitively they are handled. As a topic, we are just not ready to see or hear things. Especially when you touch upon a topic of a young 15 year old who is himself discovering that he may be paedophile. This film wont leave you for a while. 

We meet 15-year-old boy called Gabo, who seems like a normal teenager spending his days at school, seeing friends and playing video games. But he’s not, as we soon find out that he is developing uncontrollable tendencies. He befriends a forty-something man, Dave online, with whom he explores a friendship and we soon figure out what's going on. Dave like young teen boys and he has a crush on Gabo. Meanwhile, to our shock, Gabo is in love with his best friend’s 8-year-old brother Sam and knows that something is wrong about this. Rather than seeking counseling, Dave becomes his support, but Dave's plans are to somehow eventually seduce Gabo. Things change when Dave is arrested on suspicion of statutory rape, and Gabo is torn between testifying against him and exposing his own murky secret. As expected, initially he refuses to know the man but all online chats etc say otherwise. Sam's picture is also found on Dave's computer and Gabo has no explanation. The turmoil that this 15 year old goes through for next few days is just haunting. Dealing with cops and his own mother and sister (imagine how tough it is for a 15 year old). Eventually when he cant take anymore, he tells his sister that he maybe a paedophile and decides to open up about his relationship with Dave and also his feelings to Sam to the lawyer and the cops so that appropriate action can be taken. The film ends with the hope that Gabo may actually be able to get some counseling help.

The whole premise of the film is extremely unsettling and the film makers approach s direct and harsh without beating around the bush. You see how slowly Dave deuces Gabo for his pleasure and at the same time Gabo dealing with his unsaid feelings for a 8 year old kid. It is extremely uncomfortable to watch. The film challenges everything: the school system, the relationship between parents and their children, the easy access to pornography and dating apps, and the lack of psychological support. For the bulk of its runtime, the film works as a surprisingly empathetic and non-judgemental character study. It mostly succeeds because he’s not yet an abuser, but still raises multiple concerns in terms of how much it shows. Strictly looking beyond the moral compass, the actor playing Gabo has done a fantastic job. He is extremely naturally and thus ensures that the viewer understands his feelings and even suffers with him. From the scenes when he rides his cycle carefree to when he has to deal with reality of the whole situation. The amount of pressure Gabo had to endure from all sides was really crazy. Somehow understandable and comprehensible but still difficult to cope with. The film tears you apart because you find Gabo's actions/thoughts condemned, incomprehensible, even repulsive on the one hand, but then you also have opposite feelings, such as understanding, compassion and sympathy. I can't imagine how and why the film maker chose the subject but it's extremely brave nonetheless. Even while writing the review I am torn between recommending the film or not!! The subject is taboo and is extremely uncomfortable to watch, nonetheless the sensitivity with which its done and telling a story thats impossible to tell, as a film viewer, you need to watch this to appreciate the hard work that must have gone behind this. (7/10)