Marco Berger has come out with another movie that’s really beautiful and sexy, but it’s definitely not like the ones he usually makes where guys are just full of sexual tension. This one is filmed in black-and-white and looks amazing. The director found a really weird way to show how humans connect and how sexuality works by using a "man as a dog" idea. It’s a pretty strange but interesting movie that makes you think. The story takes place in a world that’s parallel to ours, where two straight couples are on vacation on an island. You see two guys on a boat calling out to someone, and then this naked, lonely, and really good-looking guy shows up. In this dreamy kind of world, the group calls him a "man," but he basically acts like a pet dog. In this setup, the word "men" refers to naked male humans that people own as pets, just like we own dogs. People are scared of stray men just like they're scared of stray dogs. There are also "women" who ...
We see 2 parallel stories. Gabriel, a man in his early 30s probably works at a grocery store. But he also works as a prostitute sleeping with men and couples to make money on the side. We also meet Violette, a young girl who lives with her rich parents on her farm, but bitterns out her father has been sexually abusing her. When she gets pregnant, she has had enough and she kills them both. In the meanwhile, Gabriel gets attacked by one of his suitors. Desperately looking for money, he robs one of his patrons and then runs away. The duo end up meeting and slowly become the emotional support for each other. Gabriel's cop boyfriend helps them to break free of their chains and maybe see al light of happiness.
This film was odd IMO. The story was dark, but somehow there was also a hint of subtle humor, in the duo's everyday dark secretive life. The shots are long and also that try to give us an insight into the mental situation that Gabriel and Violette, but it goes on forever. The scene a=fo Gabriel living his life and meeting clients and after clients get repetitive. Also, him meeting Frank and eventually falling in love and whatever felt rather convenient and sudden. In contrast, Violette's story was more convincing. We have seen films earlier where two oddballs or strangers meet and develop a bond but in this film, I was just not sure what was the point. To give credit to the actors, they do a really good job of what's expected of them, but other than that, I kept asking myself throughout the film as to what's really going on and what s the point behind all this. (3/10)
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