This indie film is a really powerful look at how a community can suffocate you and the hidden corners young people have to find just to be themselves in so many European towns, even with all the progress we've seen lately. The whole story plays out while the town is bracing for a massive, raging flood, and you just can't shake the feeling that some kind of intense reckoning or unavoidable doom is headed their way. To be honest, I didn't go in with super high expectations, but the way it’s put together makes it a seriously compelling watch. Plus, it’s not every day you get to see an LGBT-themed movie coming out of Croatia! The story follows Marko, a popular 18-year-old kid who seems to have it all—he’s got a girlfriend, he’s a competitive arm wrestler, and he’s well-liked at school. When he isn't in class, he’s usually hanging out with his brother, who has a disability, or helping his mom out in her greenhouse. Everything gets flipped upside down when a guy named Slaven ...
Erik is in his 30s and is a documentary film maker. He is addicted to casual sex after breaking up with his long term boyfriend. A casual phone sex hook up leads him to meet Paul, who is initially closet. Friendship soon leads to love between the two men. Paul is a drug addict and self-destructive right from the beginning but Erik ignore these signs initially. When things get so bad and Paul stops showing up at home for days at a stretch, Erik decides to intervene. He forces him to go to rehab while getting his life back together. Erik's set of close friends give him a moral support during these hard times. After Paul is back, for some days things are ok and Paul is grateful to Erik but old habits die hard and Paul's disappearing acts soon follow. This time things get even worse. Occasionally Erik keeps going back to his habits of phone sex but deep down he still deeply deeply loves Paul. Years pass again. Its almost 9 years since the 2 have been together. Paul comes back again ( I guess from another rehab). They try to be friends and casually date. But Erik is not sure this time. He still truly deeply loves Erik but cant figure out what does he want to do with the relationship. How long can he stand being taken advantage of. Finally he takes a stand and tells Erik that he loves him but he cannot be with him anymore. He cant take it. The 2 part amicably but Erik has lost his love finally for good.
While writing this review, I can imagine the potential this film could have had with a little more polished direction. One of the major flaws is that the film is supposed to be happening between 1998-2006 but not once do we feel that era is talking, clothes, environment etc. The way people act, makeup, dress up etc, it could easily have been a story of just a month. Even the looks or clothes of the led actors hardly change over a period of 8 years. The film should have paced well a little. But the film had good moments too. It is hard to see someone like Erik, so madly and deeply in love with Paul that he sees everything that Paul does but still ignores all of it just for the sake of love. One of the most emotionally disturbing scenes in the film is when Erik finally finds Paul in a hotel room, all drugged up and he just sits with him while he is having sex with a random person. Things that you would do for love! Acting from Erik was good but as a viewer I was a tad bit emotionally disconnected with the storyline and this is where the film fails.
The film had potential to be really good but ends up just being average. (6/10)
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