Freunde (2001)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Jan Krüger

Writers:

A.M. Homes (story)
Jan Krüger (writer)

Genre:

Short | Drama

Plot:

Two sixteen year old boys, Marcos and Johannes, spend their days racing, wrestling, hanging out, watching videos and playing hide-and-seek at nights...

Plot Keywords:

Coming Of Age | Boyhood Friend | Gay Teenager | Masturbation | Gay Interest

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Martin Kiefer	...	Johannes
Marlon Kittel	...	Marco
Rose Bender	...	Tanja
Iris Minich
Britta Jatzwauk
Benno Günther
Phillip Nilgen
Lukas Nilgen
Ulrike Will

Also Known As:

The Whiz Kids (International: English title)

Runtime:

21 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Germany:16

Company:

Academy of Media Arts Cologne

Soundtrack:

Space

A great achievement

Being only 21 minutes in length, it manages to achieve a level of intimacy,intensity and sensibility most full-feature films I've seen never reached. It is utterly unsentimental (rightly so) and pinpoints all the turmoil, conflicts and sexual tension of adolescence with devastating acuteness. The dialogues between the two main actors are sparse and spontaneous, seemed more improvised than anything else. The camera captures most of the film during such natural, undramatic moments, that the first sexual encounter has a magical and electrifying quality to it...actually gave me goose bumps. IMO this is the most effective way to portray a relationship that is at once so fragile and passionate. The ending rounds it all up with something you could call a "moral"...but it's nothing as simple as that.

A gem