This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
This movie could have been really awesome. There’s much too little said about homosexuals in WW II and this film started talking about it. Problems with neonazis in Austria are often downplayed. This was a good opportunity to talk about it and show it but the film gets caught up in the ridiculousness and fails to say anything meaningful.
Axel is a handsome but troubled sixteen-year-old boy who comes from a broken home, has trouble connecting with his peers and dulls his anxieties with marijuana. Axel has fallen in with a neo-Nazi gang who give him the respect he craves, but their leader, demands proof of Axel's commitment and asks him to kill a social worker. Axel does it and while on the run from the police, he hides in a dry cleaning shop and is spotted by the elderly proprietor, Gustav. Gustav takes in the young man and allows him to help out in the shop, but doesn't tell Axel why -- Gustav is gay, and the young man bears a striking resemblance to a boy he loved when he was a teenager but inadvertently betrayed to the Nazis during World War II. When Lippi and his gang discover Axel has made friends with a homosexual, they're angry that he's gone against their principles, and Axel is caught between two different worlds in which he isn't sure he belongs. We also have Christina, the only social contact that Gustav has to the outside world who is undergoing sexual change. Her story gets prominent space in the film but has pretty much nothing to do with the basic plot of the film.
The story I felt was very over the top but I have absolutely no clue of what it is like in AUstria, so it will be difficult for me to actually make a comment on that. The story also seemed disjointed at various places. It was never clear whether Axel was with Gustav because his gang asked him to be with him or because he really wanted to. Was Gustav just protective about the boy or was he also sexually attracted to him? Acting wise Axel was ok but others were just ok. Christina looked over the top. I am not too sure what to make of all the aggression, violence, rape like sex that the members of neo-nazi gang indulge in. All this seemed unreal to me but I am not sure.
As per my very personal opinion, this film was full of flaws and does neither entertain you nor hold your attention. (2.5/10)
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