Romeos (2011)

A drama centered on the relationship between a two young men, as one of them navigates the difficulties of life as a transgender man.

Director:

Sabine Bernardi

Writer:

Sabine Bernardi (screenplay)

Stars:

Rick Okon, Max Befort, Liv Lisa Fries

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rick Okon	...	Lukas
Max Befort	...	Fabio (as Maximilian Befort)
Liv Lisa Fries	...	Ine
Felix Brocke	...	Sven
Silke Geertz	...	Pflegedienstleiterin Annette
Gilles Tschudi	...	Herr Boeken
Ben Gageik	...	Svens Freund
Sigrid Burkholder	...	Lukas' Mutter
Johannes Schwab	...	Lukas' Vater
Tessa Lukat	...	Leila
Katrin Heß	...	Pflegemädchen Jessy
Mira Benser	...	Pflegemädchen 1 (as Mira H. Benser)
Lilli Lorenz	...	Pflegemädchen 2
Julia E. Lenska	...	Blondie (as Julia Schäfle)
Juliane Knoppek	...	Jaqueline

Storyline

Twenty year old Lukas (Rick Okon) is a female to male (FTM) Trangender man, taking the steps through his gender reassignment treatment. His friendship with Ine (Liv Lisa Fries), who is lesbian, is making the changes and assimilation easier. Lukas sees his romantic world open up for him as Ine introduces him to gay life in Cologne. As he becomes more and more interested in a local gay boy (Max Befort), things are getting more and more complicated.

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Plot Keywords:

transgender | ftm | gender reassignment | friendship | lesbian | 

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Taglines:

How do you love someone, if you don't show who you are?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was first rated for ages 16+ in Germany arguing it would cause disorientation in sexual identity. After a public outcry the FSK (German rating system) apologized and the film was rated 12+.

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Goofs

Between 1:12 and 1:13, when Lukas is cleaning his room, you see the red "z" with it's dot above (like an upside-down question mark) on the balcony screen. When Fabio sits down on the window sill, the "z" has disappeared (only the dot stays), and it appears again afterwards.

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Soundtracks

Valentine's Day
Performed by Klaus Nomi
Composed by George Elliott and Page Wood
(C) Dingbat Parade Music
Courtesy of Heliocentric CD

User Reviews

Surprisingly well done, entertaining and accurate

I'm going to be honest, I put of watching this movie for several months for multiple reasons, the most important one being the fact that I was unsure if I would even enjoy "Romeos".

I'm a gay transman myself and let's be honest, there aren't a lot of movies who even deal with transgender issues, yet alone the issues gay transmen face. (At this point I'd like to point out that the right word to use in this context is either "trans" or "transgender", most of the reviews on here use the word "trangendered", which is incorrect, in the same way a blind person is not "blinded". Anyway, moving on...)

I won't summarize the plot, considering it is probably the weakest aspect of the movie. To put it simple: It's a love story with lots of teenage drama. Instead I would like to emphasize that I was honestly impressed by Rick Okon's work as an actor. Sure, I would have preferred an actor who's actually trans, but I still thought Okon's performance was great. It was obvious that this was a role he really prepared for, the awkward posture is something I always catch myself doing, it was almost a perfect reenactment.

Most other issues for transmen were also portrayed accurately, constant fear of being found out, people accusing you of being egoistic, stupid questions, having to fight for your rights etc. Yes, some of it was different from my own experience, but that's the thing, there is not one universal experience. (However, two things were simply wrong/outdated. First, transmen usually don't do their own shots in Germany but have it mostly done by a nurse, but I suppose doing your own shots seems "cooler". Second, you can now change your gender marker without any surgeries, but this might have not been the case when the movie was released.)

The only thing I truly disliked was the constant focus on sex. Yes, the gay scene can be quite sexual, but there are obviously lots of gay men who think differently. Oh, and another things: There are definitely better ways to flatten your chest. I was constantly frustrated because the binder Lukas used was just horrible. I suppose it would have erased some of the plot points but it was just frustrating to watch, knowing that there are way better and more functioning alternatives.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie, especially to someone who has little knowledge of transgender issues.

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German English Italian

Release Date:

8 December 2011 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Romeus

Filming Locations:

Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$773, 18 September 2011

Gross USA:

$1,081

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,324

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boogiefilm, Das Kleine Fernsehspiel (ZDF), Enigma Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1