Coming Out

As a youth Philipp had an unconsummated relationship with a schoolmate but panicked and ended it. He's now a teacher in a high school and starting a relationship with a woman named Tanja who teaches at the same school. When Tanja introduces him to a friend of hers who turns out to be Philipp's old schoolmate, Philipp's questions about his sexuality resurface. When Philipp begins to explore his feelings by checking out a local gay bar he meets Mathias, a charming young man who is equally smitten with him.

Philipp is attractive and has a puppy dog-like air of vulnerability, but while Philipp is starting to be more honest with himself about what he wants, he's not honest with those around him and in his confusion and panic ends up hurting all of those that try to love him. This makes for a sadder movie than other coming out stories such as Beautiful Thing or the older Making Love.

In summary this is an interesting but ultimately unfulfilling story look at one man's coming out. There are scenes that are over the top and others that I just plain don't understand but this may be a cultural thing. E.g. Several patrons leaving a gay bar have never met Philipp but come up to him as they pass him in the street, stroke his hair and point him inside. Also the bar has gay men in costumes that are wilder than anything I see in the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Is it a special event or were gay bars in East Germany more festive than I'd heard?

I saw the 1989 West Geman feature "Coming Out" yesterday at the Brisbane Queer Film Festival (2nd June 2007) and I loved it.

It tells a realistic story of an incredibly handsome young high school teacher who is coming to grips with his homosexual tendencies. Philipp is a pleasant and sociable chap - and finds it easy to fall in love with a woman who has held a torch for him since their high school days. However when her best male friend turns out to be his own teenage lover (with a lot of emotional baggage attached), Philipp realises that his passion for men hasn't wained.

The soundtrack music is excellent - and it's refreshing to see a film which doesn't pander to the viewer - you have to pay attention and infer some of the plot, but it all makes perfect sense.

Coming Out is an empowering film - made and set at a time when all sex between men was equally illegal in my home state of Queensland as it was in East Germany. The opening night for "Coming Out" in Berlin was the same night that the Wall came down - that would have been one memorable night for all involved.

I was impressed enough to immediately order the DVD from the USA - it's a great film to share.

A few young people in the audience thought that "Coming Out" was a comedy (which is weird considering the opening detailed scene of a seriously ill young man in hospital having the contents of his stomach pumped). They guffawed at the fashions, the disco music and the dancing - but thankfully they shut up soon enough.

I thought the ending was particularly poignant - especially considering the film's title.

I also enjoyed seeing Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf as the barmaid in the gay club. She was perfect for that part - and it is a fitting tribute to her.

Coming Out is bold in displaying the unjust treatment of the marginalized group of society--the homosexuals. It is character-driven thus it allows viewers to enter the life and emotions of Mattias, the high school teacher, as he struggles to change his true identity and to repress his sexual desires in order to conform to the norms of the GDR society.

Though it presents a heavy issue, the film's mood is light. There are many entertaining scenes like theatrical plays and bar scenes with gay men in their lavish costumes. The portrayal of the sex scenes are also excellent. They are portrayed in such a manner wherein we can say that it is not just pure lust;that emotions are involved. The dialog is moving and must be given enough attention specially between Mattias and his mother. The film is not only entertaining, it also made me understand and sympathize with the homosexuals.

The film tries to kindle an understanding on valuing one's sexual orientation and identity. Many gay people experience critical times when they have to decide who to tell about their sexuality. In making this disclosure they are often fearful of negative reactions, rejection and causing upset and distress to the person they are telling. Sometimes a person may try 'coming out' to a supportive friend as a precursor to talking to parents or partner in order to rehearse their own part and to judge reactions. The film "Coming Out" serves as an eye-opener for those who are anxious and unsure of their own sexual identities. It has relevant issue that encourages me to recognize new perspectives based on realities in the society. It actually stimulates me to think critically. The story has a logical flow and has various twists. Although the story is not new for me (cause I've already read the same story from a book) the execution enables the film to stand out and appear to be revealing. I was not bored watching the whole film. I used to take a nap when I view DEFA films in my film class but I was surprised, this movie kept me awake.

This is a very interesting and stylish movie, unlike any other gay themed movie I know. It's East German, made just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The paranoia, seriousness and drabness of East Berlin is a palpable atmosphere, and the illicit illegality of homosexuality there at the time. There are echoes of an expressionistic Berlin cabaret tradition: the exaggeration in the dance club scenes, and the song in the experimental theater/concert scene. The angst rings true. The atonality of some of the music in the soundtrack adds to the angst. The director obviously sees something "atonal" about these young men in love, but maybe it reflects the cultural context rather than disapproval? The quiet conversation scenes without scoring seem a little like Bergman in style.

I think it would be a mistake to view the self-loathing of the gay men in this movie, or the main character's mother's sad disappointment over her son's sexuality, with American eyes of the 21st Century, or those of the much freer Europe of current times. And even today there are still plenty of paranoid, secretive young gay men around, even in progressive countries.