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 ...
Ibo is a second generation Turkish in Berlin who just got his university degree, but is facing the fact that his name and face make it more difficult to get a job than those from White-German families. To make some extra cash, he works as a cashier in a gay sex shop. He has excellent relations with his family including his father. One day Ibo meets a blond con man Alexander and somehow can't get him out of his head. He soon finds out that he is a wrestler, which Ibo eventually joins. When Alexander is beaten up and has both his arms broken, he discovers that Ibo is one of the few friends he has who seems to care. An unlikely relationship starts between tough and straight Alexander and Ibo who has fallen madly in love with him. Ibo is madly infatuated with him but Alexander is macho straight man who wouldn't occasionally refuse a bj from Ibo. When Ibo's sister outs Ibo, he is kicked out of his family but his liberal uncle takes him in and give him the support he needs. Ibo finally gets over Alexander when he gets that the main is really straight and finds a new boyfriend in Lucas. But he can never forget Alexander. Alexander comes back in Ibo's life, apologizes and asks to be friends. In a happy and a positive finale, they may have to re-evaluate their relationship and figure out whether they can find something a bit more equal.
Besides the whole immigration angle, what is far more interesting is the relationship between Alexander and Ibo, which neither of them can deny has a homoerotic angle, despite the fact Alexander is insistent he’s straight. He knows Ibo is attracted to him, and a sexual dimension emerges, but at first Alexander thinks it’s just something he can use, but they both come to realize it’s something different to that. It also helps that the actors playing the roles have great chemistry on-screen. The start of the film felt a bit wanky and I wasn't sure of the acting but it grows on you eventually. It's a beautiful bromance, friendship & love and respect that eventually emerges for them. The writing is witty and the script very tight, as it is not a very long film. The story was sufficiently interesting to hold my attention for the full running time. There is no unneeded dialogue or scenes, it is tightly edited. The uncle's support also comes as a breath of fresh air for Ibo and works well in the film.
Overall sweet and entertaining. Tackling some important issues, the film is an enjoyable tale, with interesting characters and a very intriguing central relationship. (6/10)
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