onefineday36 Reviews

A Prince (2023)

Funny one, this is

[4/10 · 20 April 2024]

For the majority of the running time of the film, I thought it felt more like a mood-board. You know, the concept presentation that an interior or fashion designer uses to explain to the client the basic ideas of what they're going for. It's not a finished product, and the lack of details and coherence would be often compensated by the flowery words of the designer... This film felt just like that. What's seen on the screen was strangely 'naive' - from the static camera, wooden actors to abrupt cuts and story changes -, and kind of a pale sketch of more complex internal monologues of various characters (there are virtually no conversations other than the narrations).

But OK... it was still somewhat a sentimental and calm journey of a life that I didn't mind to, if half-heartedly, observe. 'Ah, that young man basically hooks up with every guy available around him. Good for him! I mean, sexual tension we all carry no matter how calm the surface may look...', I thought.

But it takes a very very weird turn, when the mysterious Kutta that everyone was talking about finally appears on screen and has sex with the protagonist (of course!)... but with 7 penises that wiggle around like an octopus' tentacles, I finally lost it and just laughed out loud. 'What the hack is going on? Is it suddenly turning into a SiFi?', I had to wonder. Well, the film ended with just a couple more bizarre scenes, so I didn't really find out why the sudden turn took take place. Kutta having been mentioned constantly throughout the film and him being called 'a prince', the film's title's sake, I can assume he was supposed to have certain significance... but frankly not sure if he was really 7 wiggling cocks worthy significant.

I won't call it a waste of time or worst thing ever etc, but I'm not sure what I watched and what this film was striving for.

Bones and Names (2023)

Scenes from a few Relationships

[6/10 · 15 March 2024]

A gay couple, whose relationship reached the stage where every conversation ends up with a quarrel; a french director, who takes on an intimate project that turns out be very personal; a young girl, whose constant attempt to test the water and limit lands her in troubles.

This feature is more a collection of various intimate scenes rather than a one coherent plot. More of food for thoughts rather than a story with a satisfying end.

Interestingly the director takes the approach of gazing from a distance for these subtle and intimate scenes. Mostly austere and white washed interiors, very much flat, more painting/photo like compositions, and camera that never gets too close to the character even in the moment of high emotion... encourage the viewers to simply gaze and observe rather than emotionally involve.

Even the character of Boris played by the director himself has 'let it be, and let's get on' attitude in contrast to his partner, who seem to want to dig deeper into his own fear and insecurity or indeed the french director who seem to want to understand what happened to her own relationship through her new project.

The result is charming and interesting but bit ambiguous and vague. I suspect the director, Stumm himself didn't exactly know what he wanted to say in the end. A director who pushes his message too hard can be tiresome, but a director who simply hopes his audiences make their own conclusion can be also bit frustrating. I admired the power of observation and calm approach of Stumm, but I hope he commands a bit more direction for his next project.

Femme (2023)

Failed to grip me

[5/10 · 29 February 2024]

A revenge drama is a tricky business. You don't want it to be a too much of exploitation trash, but you don't want it to be too safe either. 'Femme' falls closer to 'playing it too safe' team.

I found the biggest issue was that the key moments didn't ring true. The assault scene, for example, is the basis of the rest of the ensuing drama. I wouldn't have expected it to be the level of 'Irreversible'... but it definitely relied too much on camera works and editing than the rawness of the violence, thus making Jules' resulting trauma less gripping to the audience.

The following key moments of shift also failed to be convincing. How Jules re-encounters Preston, how that chance encounter leads to hook up, how that again leads to a proper steak date... all seem to just happen for the convenience of the plot. Also Preston's changes as a character, namely how he develops deeper feeling towards Jules and admits his submissive side... all come along without much development (after literally one scene after another of him using Jules like a sex toy, that is).

Together with Jules' frankly flimsy plan of 'revenge' (why would he bring Preston back to his place and let his friends meet him if he truly was serious about his revenge?), the overall result is that it made it hard to take the whole thing rather seriously. A revenge drama that keeps you at the edge of the seat, 'Femme' is not.

One of the weaknesses was also Stewart-Jarrett playing Jules. His switch between feminine-masculine persona was impressive, but his display of tension/fear/emotional struggle was pretty mono-toned. Say, his fear before the assault should have a different colour to his fear when he later faces Preston's thug friends, for example. But to my eyes, it all felt pretty generic 'fear'.

Mackay's display of explosive temper and the contrasting soft/weak side is great, but even his great acting cannot quite make up (already mentioned) lack of convincing development.

I want to see more risk taking and raw approach when the film maker took up such a controversial subject to start with.

Tchaikovsky's Wife (2022)

A grueling journey of obsession

[7/10 · 7 January 2024]

I'm always excited to see a production of sumptuous costume drama. It's notoriously expensive and difficult to pull off, and in the time of cheap shortcuts everywhere, 'Tchaikovsky's Wife' stands out for its consistency and authenticity of its style and production design.

Drama-wise, as the title implies, it's almost all about Antonia, the wife's perspective... and her perspective is extremely simple - her obsession for Tchaikovsky. The 2 and a half hour run is all about her anxious and gradually more manic and bitter obsession, and you can imagine it wouldn't be a very happy and even somewhat exhausting journey.

Tchaikosky as a character largely serves as her object of obsession rather than a full multi-dimesional person. He is definitely portrayed as rather cruel and frivolous (and real Tchaikovsky indeed was when it came to his wife), but he's also not depicted as a simplistic evil - there are fleeting moment of his human depth as in the 2 photo session scenes. And I can understand why they avoided using Tchaikovsky's music much (apart from Antonia playing the melody of the famous letter aria from 'Onegin'). The beautiful and emotional music of Tchaikovsky, the representation of his genius, would have shifted the weight of the film from Antonia to Tchaikovsky.

Despite it being a grueling journey, it didn't feel boring thanks to the sumptuous production design and rather theatrical style. From the very first scene of the dead Tchaikovsky rising to taunt Antonia for daring to come to his funeral, one should understand this was not to be a conservative and realistic depiction of drama. Yet there definitely were some scenes that rather stood out like a sore thumb - Antonia presented with a bunch of muscular young men (or indeed more dramatic reprise of it at the end) or her lover masturbating himself in his blood stained death bed feel the director being overtly ambitious.

Overall I appreciated the film... though I'm not sure if I want to go through it the second time.

Kanarie (2018)

Doesn't quite get there

[6/10 · 31 December 2023]

I appreciated that it tackled not an easy subject matter and in a quasi-musical format too. Frankly I don't have much idea about the history of South Africa, and I, again, appreciate that it gave me a chance to have a glimpse of a chapter of its recent history.

But I can't dismiss the feeling it always shies away before it cuts deep. Whether it's the musical moment, Johan's fantasy, romance, conflict and even Johan's inner struggle for which the later part of the film does dedicated lots of time, the film flips to the next scene before it truly hits the high point. It feels almost like the whole film is under the influenced of Johan himself, who tries not to stand out and keeps his head down. For it being a musical, wouldn't it have been more fitting if there was at least one scene where music and emotion burst and flourish, even if it had to remain in a fantastical context than in reality?

For the very similar subject matter, I should say 'Moffie' was more detailed and emotionally charging experience. And I'm glad I watched Moffie before Kanarie otherwise it would have been bit more difficult to understand the historical and societal background.

At Night All the Cats Are Black (2022)

a Cinema of the Absurd

[5/10 · 3 December 2023]

For the first part, I thought this was turning out to be a typical Euro art house gibberish... but when the police and inspector arrive the scene, it became clearer this is to fall in the line of the theatre of the Absurd.

There are too many different languages, and people can hardly communicate. Police, inspector and mayor all keep their respectable facade, but none of them know what's going on or what has to be done (their language resembles that of politicians closely, actually - pretending to know what they are talking about and yet always evade what really matters). Nobody does or care for their job... and soon the scenes from the weird film in the first part start to repeat in reality... even across the ocean in Mexico.

Is it interesting? A bit. Worth nearly 3 hours of your life? Probably not. But at least its gibberish is not entirely gibberish because it's meant to reflect the absurdity of the world, life and us.

Staccato (2016)

Why the bother with a period drama?

[4/10 · 17 November 2023]

I know it's a huge challenge to produce a period-costume drama on a budget. Period drama costs more money. But if you can't make it right, why bother to begin with? It's not that I'm asking it to be ravishing; but at least it has to be stylistically coherent.

I'd guess the drama is supposed to be set sometime in Victorian era... but then, while the costumes for female characters are vaguely late Victorian, why do men's resemble more of early 19C (as in George IV ear)? Gentleman not wearing a jacket even in his own home or maids not wearing a head dress are weird too... but ok, maybe I could let such details pass... In the dinner scene, I first wondered why they were having an afternoon tea in the dining room... Turned out they were having dinner... but why then is the tea served before dessert?

Then at the recital, men turn up finally more in Victorian black tie attire... but why does the pianist come on the stage wearing a top hat?

Apart from the production/costume designs, a lot more could have been wanted in the acting department too. All of them are lacking the stylistic understanding of playing a period character. Just putting up a cringe posh accent and bumping up the pretentious mannerism wouldn't do unless a parody of a period drama was the film's goal (it wasn't).

It could have been an OK film. But for its unprepared attempt to make it a period drama resulted in having too many flaws and distractions to just enjoy it.

Celts (2021)

a portrait of ordinary people

[7/10 · 4 November 2023]

'Celts' is an intimate ensemble play of a single day of ordinary people. The world is going mad around them. The war that just started would go much nastier and much longer. But they don't know it. Just like any ordinary people (you and me, basically), we are just looking to get through another day, full of little private frustrations, hang ups, and momentary smiles. There's no magical solution, no grand finale, and nothing really goes as planned, but we carry on so long we manage to find a small relief, a relic of love and a glimpse of hope.

What I commend the most about 'Celts' is the balance. It's so easy to opt for more melodrama, big catastrophe, or letting one character steal the show. But 'Celts' manages its own pace, always managing to pick up little moments of each character's own story (even from just a passing character like the passenger in the father's taxi). We never fully get to understand all the ins and outs of one character, but we sense these are real people with their own lives and their own stories. It's no mean feat to pull off.

Passages (2023)

Doesn't realise its potential

[6/10 · 14 October 2023]

Not all films need to be message driven, but I think any director or writer makes a film because they have something to say. In that sense, I'm not sure what 'Passages' wanted to say.

There was an ample potential to make an interesting social cut in the age of more fluid sexuality. "don't pigeon-hall yourself", "follow your heart"", you could be anything and love anybody"... and so on all sound great, but how it actually works in reality, and how it could clash with the traditional idea of a committed relationship, gender roles, and responsibility of a parenthood. There still are remnants of such questions and reflections in 'Passages'. Problem is Tomas is too big a rotten character and consumes all the drama. He's self absorbed (resulting in being selfish even without a malicious intend), cowardly, dishonest with himself and others, emotionally needy yet wants to dominate the situation, and above all manipulative (oh, and his fashion sense is pretty atrocious, but that's just based on my taste). It makes in contrast his male and female partners innocent victims, leaving very little room for a balanced reflection on sexuality/relationship/gender role issues.

Maybe a social commentary was not the director's intention. Maybe a character study was the goal? But surprisingly we don't really get to see the depth of Tomas and even less of Martin and Agathe. Why is Tomas the way he is? What was Tomas's relationship with Martin like before the storm? What did Tomas really see in Agathe and the future with her?

All the sex scenes were fun to watch, but if a character study was the goal maybe the film could have used those minutes more towards... well, to show the character. 'A rotten character ruins the lives of others' is too obvious a conclusion for a character study or even just any old relationship drama.

Passages is an OK drama. Technically sufficient and actings are decent (though I think it failed to utilize all the potential of such interesting actors as Whishaw and Rogowski). But it left me wondering what it really was all for... or is it just me out of my depth?

Credence (I) (2015)

Sentimental gibberish

[5/10 · 7 October 2023]

I get it. These gays are not the same old self-absorbed sex-fiends. They are fathers, family men, just as loving and dedicated as any straight couple. But beyond the premise, this film doesn't have that much to offer.

Despite the not so short run time for a short and the grand apocalyptic setting, the plot is extremely simple. The moment John decides to let his little daughter go, there aren't much left to keep the tension going plot wise. The rest should have been the intense and complex emotional journey of the 2 fathers, and the film tries with constant flashback cuts of their once happy carefree family life... but it fails to achieve that heart wrenching emotional climax.

Several issues: the chemistry between the two fathers is lacking. They are all dedicated fathers, but what kind of relations have they had as lovers and then a couple? The film fails to capture them as individuals and a couple, and thus reduces the emotional complexities they would have gone through at the latter part of the film.

Actings didn't help either. Especially Alex Hammond as Scott is wooden, and didn't really have any emotional depth.

I appreciate the basic premise. But if the director and screen write truly wanted to capture the life of a same sex parenthood, they needed more research and observation of the real people and families. The grand Sci-fi set up cannot make up the lack of detailed and deep understanding of real life and relationship.

I Love You More (2023)

Pretty realistic depiction of teenage psychology

[6/10 · 29 September 2023]

It seems almost any gay director make at least one coming-of-age drama. Problem is many of them are surprisingly unrelatable. Sometimes it's too tragedy ridden melodrama, sometimes it's too pink tinted image of what the director wished but never really had in reality.

'I love you more' is much calmer, gentler drama. Especially the psychology of the teenage character in his first love, with all his idealism, anxiety, moodiness and blind drive, is depicted fairly realistically. Now as a grown-up, I find him incredibly annoying, but I can't deny I definitely shared a lot of the characters when I was about his age.

It's not a perfect product. Ben's life and surrounding lacks the nitty gritty of real life, sceneries are all a bit too majestic every time, parents (especially mom) shows the patience of a saint... Overall everything is shimmering in a sort of golden light of late summer evening. I think it's the director looking back his childhood and his motherland with nostalgia... But at times I wished to see just a bit more rawness.

Nevertheless I still think 'I love you more' is a positive addition to the extensive list of gay coming of age films, if nothing else than for the relatable depiction of the teenage psychology.

Mates (2023)

It's complicated

[6/10 · 13 September 2023]

It's clearly a low budget feature, and one sees it from get go. Camera works, edit and sound design all are less than sophisticated. I have seen quite a few cringe or even horrible low budget features before, so I kind of prepared myself for the worst case.

But in conclusion it was actually turned out a pleasant surprise. It's definitely not a product of high artistic ambition or a groundbreaking marvel. But the conversations capture the realistic flow of the young 'mates' who are not quite yet grown up men, and the actors do manage to pull it off enough. And the hidden tension and interaction behind the surface become quickly and surprisingly complicated.

Is Cornnor gay? Did he fancy Nate and that's why he agreed to go on hiking? Is Adam really serious about Cornnor? Why does he seem to flirt with just about anybody then? And what about Nate? Is he a closet case who was peer-pressured to play a big macho guy?

In the time where being Gay is OK and boundaries of sexuality is getting blurred, this little 4 men play captures the challenge and confusion of the younger generation who grew up in that environment. For me, Mark, who represents a straight man, was actually most interesting character. Belonging to the new generation, he does not display clear homophobia any more. He definitely can get along with gays... so long he is sure who is gay and who is straight. If he can't be sure whether his mates are gay or straight, how could he know how to treat them or, as he constantly does, reaffirm his own straight identity and territory?

Overall, it was definitely interesting and worth a watch. Give it a go without expecting too much, and go with its flow.

Curmudgeons (2016)

Let us love and live till we drop

[7/10 · 11 September 2023]

Most developed world nations are invariably getting old in terms of demographic, but there are still very little representation of the elderly people in the culture... gay or straight.

Getting into the film, I actually even didn't know it was Danny DeVito and David Marguiles. They both look really so old and frankly decrepit that I had no idea and just thought 'Oh, whoever they are, they are pretty good!'. But as old and decrepit as their characters are, they still have a heart, longing and need. This sweet short film captures the love in the old age as well as the rough old NY mannerisms and the reality of the elderly whose personal sovereignty is taken away as soon as they lose the ability to take care of themselves. Imagine how many gay couples, no matter how long they've lived together, had to be separated because their relationship was not officially recognized.

But time's changed. Old and frail, but Ralphy and Jackie can be together now.

Stoma (2020)

Melodramatic and flawed

[4/10 · 10 September 2023]

I waited a long time to get to see this film. As an East Asian immigrant who moved to West Europe in search for a better gay right, I thought this film would have something that would resonate with me. Having watched it now, I'm left unconvinced.

It's not a very sophisticated product overall to start with. The editing, effects etc., while I can see what the director would have intended, nevertheless all feel slightly contrived and rough around the edge. Actings could have been also better. Especially Yiu-Sing Lam playing Lim fails to deliver the deep emotions and his untrained voice gets stuck when he should speak with outburst and force.

But the biggest issue for me was the flawed main character.

Flaws Lim has plenty. He is insecure, clingy, pessimistic, temperamental and constantly puts his trust on wrong people. He constantly complains and blames people around him that they are not by his side (unconditionally). But the fact of life is you should be ready to be helpful to others if you want them be helpful to you too. Lim never puts himself in others' shoes.

Now, a character doesn't have to be perfect of course. Films are full of flawed characters, and without them there would be no dramas. But we normally want to see these flawed character grow and learn something through the journey of the film. Or perhaps we ourselves get to learn something about ourselves through the flawed character as a mirror. Or yet perhaps, we could laugh and enjoy watching the flawed character as a satire.

Lim doesn't change or learn much by the end of the film. The melodramatic and pretty generic presentation forces the viewers to sympathize with his frustration and isolation, but I really couldn't facing the character who doesn't do anything to earn the sympathy, neither from other characters nor from the audience.

In the end, what I got from the film were just cute faces, some hot sex scenes and the cloud of melancholia.

Overall, it's a 'meh' from me.

Easy Tiger (2022)

er... what was this for?

[4/10 · 14 August 2023]

I'm a lover of more conservative storytelling, and I admit I often have a love-hate relationship to Euro arthouse films... You know, all those long shots, endless landscape cuts, little dialogues, close up of muted faces etc. Some works for me, more often not. Easy Tiger didn't work for me.

As I read the synopsis here, I guess the director wanted it to be like a novel with audio-visual elements. But I don't think the stylistic choice really worked - like the character's narration shown just as subtitles, or the first big chunk of the young mute character's lines as subtitles without showing him 'speaking' with sign language. When reading a book, the reader often imagines the scene in his mind; when watching a film, we want to see what's going on and then imagine the backstory in mind. If we're to get our information through subtitles only, what's the point of making it into a film?

Overall it all felt rather awkward and not put-together - the characters, dialogues (which there are very little), situation... Actors were all wooden and looked lost, which I believe they indeed were. When the director fails to make sense of his vision to his actors, even the best ones cannot help but act like a bunch of blinds.

Ultimately I'm left with a question of what this was all for. It failed to entertain, touch, stimulate, relate to or even provoke me. It even didn't bore me enough to make me turn it off in the middle.

Palvelus (2022)

The art of unspoken words

[7/10 · 27 July 2023]

One of the joys of watching world films is getting a glimpse of the land and culture I'm not familiar with.

Admittedly I have no deep understanding of Finland apart from the the vague idea as a part of Scandinavia and some films of Kaurismaki.

In this short, subdued, yet deeply poignant film, I got to learn how the memory of bloody fight for their independence and identity is still alive in their memory, and how that keeps the patriarchal social value relevant. What does a son who struggles to fit that social value do to win back a bit of respect from his aging and ailing father?

We see once again the high art of unspoken words in Finish film making - if in the manner of realism in this case as opposed to Kaurismaki's more fable-like minimalism.

Norwegian Dream (2023)

a missed opportunity

[6/10 · 23 July 2023]

'Norwegian Dream' touches lots of topical issues that could have developed much further and potentially controversial - immigrant workers and exploitation of them, homophobia in Poland, an adopted black son who performs in drag, seemingly open but in fact rather hypocritical attitude of Norwegians in regard of the above issues... It could have been especially a great opportunity to tell the story from the Polish immigrant worker's point of view (as opposed to in British or German pop culture where Polish plumber/painter/farm hand/cleaner/etc are treated as a footnote or a background). When Poland is deemed soon surpass UK and Germany's economic indicators and yet its politics on its regressive path (of rising homophobia and xenophobia, for example), the film could have been a timely comment and a self-reflection... But unfortunately none of it really develops beyond a mere predictable dramatic device, while the drama itself (namely Roberto's emotional struggle and romance) also fails to go truly deep and touching. There's nothing out of place or offensive. Actings are adequate, cinematography, editing, production value all delivers... It's all very watchable... but it lacks a punch, a surprise, a grip.

It's a pity that I would be remembering this film more as what it could have been than what it is.

Eismayer (2022)

Time's changed, baby

[7/10 · 15 April 2023]

When I first read the synopsis of 'Eismayer', I thought "god, is it going to be another 'The Sergent (1968)' or 'Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)'?". But thank god, time's changed.

I've been living in West Europe as an immigrant for barely about 15 years, and couldn't know it first hand like the locals - but I've seen how much has changed within those decade and and a half alone regarding gay rights and overall acceptance of different sexualities. In that context, older Charlie's fear and self-hate about his sexuality is just as real as younger Mario's 'I'm here, I'm queer' attitude. But in the end, we see it's the Mario's generation and their attitude that is the future. Their happy ending feels dearer because it is not any more a secret in the closet or a lonely fight against the world. Come out and embrace your love, and people will be be happy for you.

'Eismayer' is pretty much a conventional drama, not an artistic marvel. But it's well made, well acted and down-to-earth. Recommended.

Joyland (2022)

a valiant effort

[6/10 · 31 March 2023]

For a film from a third world country to get an international distribution and recognition, international film festivals are often the only option. Most of these festivals take place in major Western countries, and films aiming to get an invitation from them are inevitably either artistically, stylistically or topically set to appease their taste to a degree. 'Joyland' is definitely one such an example, and without anyway disapproving the importance of the subject matters it touches, I feel it does sacrifice the gritty authenticity. I was very impressed how polished product it is, but at the same time, I kind of wished there were a bit less blue and orange lightings and bit less arty compositions of the scenes.

But there's no denying 'Joyland' is a valiant effort, and a pretty mature product overall. It has to be praised for its bravery considering where it's from; most characters are multi dimensional with moments of both strength and vulnerability; conjures up the complex mixed themes of sexuality, feminism and social bigotory pretty efficiently; and as a result, 2 hour long run time was not slow or boring at all.

I hope this film creates enough recognition and footing for the director and writer so that their next effort could be something transcends a 'festival film'.

Elephant (II) (2022)

Ok, but it's not 'God's Own Country'

[6/10 · 25 March 2023]

A gentle drama from Poland.

Now, the motive of a farm boy, stuck with the burden of hard work and family obligation, discovering himself by another boy from the outside world is not unique. There are several shorts and features from US, but from more recent and better known examples, 'God's Own Country' comes to my mind.

And comparing to the UK effort, I cannot but point out 2 main weaknesses from 'Slon'. First is the believability of the main character. Bartek doesn't really look like a boy who was born and grew up on a farm his whole life. Tall, slender, smooth and pale skined, he has distinctive urban vibe to my eyes. Also there are some hint of supposedly hard daily work on the farm, but it doesn't really deliver the dirty gritty raw sense of a real farm work, especially shadowed by the 'glamorous' aspect of horse riding. I think the hardship of running a farm all by himself is an important element of the character's situation, and failing to deliver it does affect the credibility.

Second is the lack of intense interaction between the 2 male leads. I don't think their relationship and interaction developed enough beyond the 'new boy's always sexier' rule and the convenience of the 'only 2 gays' in the village. For the relationship to truly unravel and grow Bartek out of his bubble, the relationship had to be more 3 dimensional and thicker.

'Slon' is an OK film. It is watchable and offers an interesting insight to the Polish rural life. But unfortunately it's not exactly memorable.

My Policeman (2022)

OK, but nothing new here

[6/10 · 4 January 2023]

If you watched and followed gay themed films over the years, you should know the story of a triangle relationship of a man, his wife and his male lover is very common, starting from the classics such as Victim (1961).

In the past, the set up would have had bit of shock and titillating value. In the present time when the discussion of sexuality is plain out there, revisit to the same set-up should offer something new, one would hope - I don't think 'My Policeman' does that unless you have not watched any of the old films or had no idea how repressive it used to be for gays. 'Victim' in 1961 was daring; 'My Policeman' in 2022 is nothing much more than a reminiscent.

I hoped it at least bring deep human emotions and drama, but it didn't even do that for me. Considering it's largely a relationship drama, the biggest weakness of 'My Policeman' as I see it is the lack of true interaction and chemistry between characters. Now, the 3 main characters are not particularly likable to begin with. One could say they're human, but all of them are pretty selfish and lack of consideration for others despite their claim for love for each other. In that case, what could have kept the drama interesting would be deep emotional interactions... and that's what's precisely missing here.

The older versions of the 3 characters are really rather flat and boring. The younger versions are charming in their own rights, but each does just their own things. I don't see any of the character fundamentally change and develop BY the interaction with others. There are plenty of passion and angst, but they all feel isolated. I'm not sure if it's the direction or the chemistry between actors to blame, but considering both the older and younger characters falling flat, I suspect it was the issue with the director and overall production.

It's by all means not a bad movie. It's all around adequate. It just doesn't bring anything new or interesting on the table.

Narcissus and Goldmund (2020)

Kitsch

[5/10 · 2 January 2023]

In the film, Goldmund's sculptor master tells him how he gave up the true heartfelt art for commercial success... Well, that just about sums up the character of this feature.

Hesse's original novel is not anyway an accurate representation of history, so the film version should be also free from the pressure of historical-accuracy. But the overall presentation, from costumes, make-up, production design, cinematography, and atmosphere, are too much closer to those popular quasi-fantasy costume TV serieses such as the Tudors or Merlin. It is the world viewed through the glamour filter. I mean, such an entertainment has its place, but if that was the aim of the film makers, why did they bother with Hermann Hesse? They could just opt for a fantasy story with magicians and dragon... or something like that.

It's not terrible by all means. A large scale production, OK actors, some beautiful views... But it's ultimately too kitsch to have any true impact.

Cop Secret (2021)

Sets out to be shamelessly ridiculous... but falls short

[5/10 · 3 December 2022]

From the beginning I knew it was set out to be the parody of Hollywood style cop buddy films with all the cliches. A risky task, and it wasn't really as cringe as I feared it might be... but ultimately failed to entertain me either.

Set-out was OK - the characters were fun enough, production value was OK. Action scenes and special effect could have been bit more polished, but this is not a big budget Hollywood production, so my complaint isn't there.

Problem is it's not tight and effective enough. There are too many repeated unnecessary scenes - Rikki, the baddie, creepily killing and threatening his own men, for example. Thanks to Haraldsson's great portrayal, his creepiness was well established early on. Repeating the similar situation several times only made the impact less and eventually boring. Similarly, there are quite a few scenes and characters that could have been kept simpler and tighter.

All the while, the main point and the twist of the whole film, two cop partners having a romantic relationship is left underdeveloped and underexplored. After the initial clash and alcohol fueled sex, the focus is more on Bussi's inner struggle to come out rather than his relationship to his partner. What is a buddy movie without the bond between the two buddies?

Personally, the real virtue of the film was its hilarious commentary on boring, rule-abiding nature of Icelandic society. After all, this was my first Icelandic film, and I hope it's not to be the last.... Just do a bit better than this for the next, I hope.

In from the Side (2022)

Find your true happiness... in gay brotherhood?

[6/10 · 25 November 2022]

Two hot hunks are having an affair... Production value is good, acting is also adequate... What could go wrong?

My problem with this feature is it is so much riddled with the sense of guilt about the whole affair and infidelity. Really? Gay guys in their 30's from London, living the age of Grindr and Prep... Would they be really so stuck up about meeting other guy than their own partner? Everybody live by their own value, but all the guys in this film seem to share the same weight of guilt. Meanwhile, out in reality, there are all sorts and forms of relationships going on. Because gays don't need to conform to the model of hetero marriage, it's really up to each individuals and couples what kind of relationship they want to have. And yet, this film is so much stuck up with one moralistic point of view - 'an affair is exciting, but it can't end well'.

So where do you find your happiness? From the gay brotherhood, of course! From the 'brothers' who were so quick to judge and expose your affair... But everything's fine because they've just won the terribly cliche and dramatic last game.

I wish gay relationship dramas can come up to date and inspire something new.

Boy (2012)

Does anyone care?

[7/10 · 10 October 2022]

Being an immigrant is a tough call, especially if one is without a certain anchor, be it a diploma, secure job or a relationship.

Having been an Asian immigrant in Europe, I can very well identify with the story. Little Asian men are often treated like an invisible, non-sexual, dubious but harmless presence... unless by a small group of people who fetishesize them. In whatever case, hardly anybody really cares and understands who you are... because what you truly are should also include your cultural background, your community, and the life you left behind.

The protagonist here is floating around without an anchor. He learned to speak the local language, he works hard... but nobody cares fro him for what he is. During the short romance with the dutch photographer, we see him relaxing in for the first time... because his new romace could be the key to settle down, to belong to, to become finally visible... though it's not meant to be eventually.

I wish it could have developed a bit more given the not so short running time, but overall I think it decently captured the stateless state of a minority alien, which is an undeniable part of the society we live in today.