Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

This film follows a young man who suffers a brutal homophobic aggression, after which an investigation is activated that highlights a conservative, terrified, uncompromising, fanatical and morally deplorable community in rural Romania. Interestingly, the film shows everyone's perspective except that of the victim himself. What a brilliant little film this was. I had no idea, for a change, what this film was about and I was very very pleasantly surprised how this film shows us an act of violence and different perspectives. The story is set in the Danube delta, where sunsets are vast and it is possible to go anywhere else only by boat. Set in a small village in rural Romania, we meet a religious family man Dragoi and his 17 year old son Adi. Dragoi owns a substantial debt to a local village gangster Zentov. One night when Adi comes back home brutally beaten up, they go to the doctor and also file a police complaint. As investigation starts, it turns out that it was the two sons of th...

Poppy Field is mainly a film about things unsaid. Based in Romania, where open homosexuality is not still acceptable, this film takes inspiration from a real life incident by making a fiction story around it. This film is actually very different from a lot of stuff that I have seen, and I have seen a lot. What starts probably a usual gay love story, soon becomes story of one of the leads who is still too embarrassed about his sexuality. Given that he is a cop doesn't help matters. Cristi is a cop in along distance relationship with Hadi who is visiting him from France. After a passionate time together, we see there is clearly difference in expectations that the two men have of each other and the relationship. Rather than spending time with Hadi, Cristi decide to go back to work. Cristi along with his colleagues are sent a movie theatre where a conservative group has interfered with the screening of an LGTB-themed movie. Among the audience is one of Cristi’s former lovers, who recog...

This was a very different film. Was it really good or bad, I will hopefully know by the time I finish writing this post. I do have to admit that a gay relationship between two 4-something very ordinary looking men is something of a rarity. This film is very rooted in the Bucharest slums, seems very real, mostly because of choice of actors and the location. Apparently the film is based on an autobiographical novel. A man in his early 40's, recently dumped by his girlfriend, moves to the slums neighbourhood of Bucharest called Ferentari. He decides to move there to do his PhD in manele music, something that this neighbourhood is known for. Pretty soon he meets and befriends beer-bellied Alberto, an ex-convict. After a couple years of homelessness, he’s living with a wealthy crime-boss cousin as a glorified servant. He is not shy of sharing stories that he has had sex with men in prison and wont mind doing again for money. He also has gambling problem. Before we know the 2 men so...