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 ...
Parvis is the first generation German Iranian whose parents moved to Germany for a better life. Despite this, most people, whom he meets in clubs, never think of him as German. he is accepted bu his family for being gay but his parents are also struggling to connect with him at some level. Parvis is a bit immature and a mistake costs him community service in a refugee detention center. There he meets the brother sister duo of Bana & Amon who fled Iran and are looking for legal status. Most people at center are immediately wary of his homosexuality, except the duo. The 2 boys have instant attraction but Parvis ends up becoming friends with Bana, who keeps pushing her brother Amon towards Parvis. A beautiful love story starts developing between the two, wit Amon struggling to accept his sexuality and Parvis with his identity, since every sexual encounter with a German seems to end in some sort of racial stereotyping. Their struggle increase when Bana's refugee request is denied and she is at the risk of deportation. Parvis will do everything to keep his best friend and his lover both safe with support of his family.
This film has so many sources of conflict like homosexuality, family, refugees, migration and love, that it could easily have fallen into a melodramatic hellhole. But instead, the film maker brings to us a story about the barriers to cultural assimilation. Its not important why siblings left Iran but what they want out of their life now. And this makes Parvis re-examine what his parents went through coming to Germany after the Iranian Revolution, especially because he cannot avoid being racially stereotyped in his own country since he was born in Germany. The relationship that grows between the 3 people is just impeccable, believable and magical. Bana wants to protect her younger brother at every cost and Parvis gives a ray of hope to Amon, who by the way is the most gorgeous and beautiful actors I have seen in recent times. Amon and Parvis share a totally electrifying chemistry. Their first halting kiss in a bathtub is equal parts steamy and sweet. The way Amon and Bana unquestioningly locate home in each other beautifully evokes a foundational sibling bond, while Bana and Parvis’ relationship may have no romantic component, but it, too, plays out like a falling-in-love, like a simple echo in the blood she shares with Amon. All three actors are bloody darn good and amazing in their portrayal and that's a huge win for any film.
“No Hard Feelings” is a love story, an immigrant tale and a coming of age story for a whole generation of displaced young people. Thankfully the film never goes melodramatic. Highly recommend. (8.5/10)
Comments
Yes he was a bit eccentric, but it was more because he is struggling to have his identity. He is neither Persian or German and this constant struggle is thhe truth of all immigrants, which I can totally relate to.