Max is an avid gay party organizer in Berlin and seen with ever changing lovers in the decadent nightclub Berlin scene much to the dismay of his boyfriend Rudy. He doesn't care that under Hitler Germany is changing. After a tryst with a gay soldier from a Nazi militia, Max and Rudy find themselves being hunted by soldiers. With the help of his uncle, Max is able to procure papers to leave Germany but refuses to do so unless he gets papers for Rudy as well. Eventually they are captured and Rudy is beaten to death by the army in train while taking them to a detention camp. Max hides his homosexuality and pretends he is Jewish, believing it will mean avoiding worse treatment. In the train and eventually in the camp he meets Horst, who is in the camp for being gay and is open about it. The two men bond over mundane camp duties and eventually fall in love. the kind of love that you feel and respect and not physical since they cant even look at each other forget touching. In eventually sad turn of events, Horst is killed by the soldiers but by this time Max has learnt to accept that he is gay and wont hide anymore only to kill himself for sake of his love.
I remember liking this film a lot more many years ago, when I was just being introduced to the world of queer cinema, but watching it now, I could see some issues. I mean, also in last 20ish years there have been so many films on plight of gays under Hitler, the impact is somehow diluted. Also the scenes between the two men in the camp are long drawn and involves a whole lot of talking and not much happening. You can argue that it's actually those scenes that carry the most emotional punch, especially when the two men make love just be words and how they feel. Clive Owen as Max and Horst both give intense, finely shaded performances and become the characters. You feel their pain, anguish, Max's zest for staying alive while also knowing the truth. The film is depressing, sad, haunting yet beautiful, despite these flaws mentioned above. it is known that besides Jews , many gays were also under target from Nazis; so in that sense this is an important film to tell. But the two very drastically different ways that the story unfolds makes it unpredictable.
Whether you like it or not, it is a very important piece in gay culture. A film that you cannot absolutely afford to miss. (6.5/10)
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