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 ...
This doc films the 11-month preparation for Anima Ardens and offers a window into a unique artistic collaboration. The auditions introduce a unique dynamic that transforms as the film progresses. Smits asks his prospective dancers if they have read the performance description in full and understand that the piece is to be done in the nude. Several dancers are visibly surprised and uncomfortable as they begin crossing their fully clothed legs and twitching anxiously. However, Smits makes clear that he isn’t choosing men based on their abs or their endowments. They are dancers, after all, and the audition scenes offer a survival of the fittest challenge as the top dancers distinguish themselves through technique, form, and confidence. Closeups of male skin and non-stop graphic nudity show how vulnerable these men can be within the non-existent borders of artistic freedom. More of a celebration of the male body than erotica and definitely not gay.
From the auditions to the final performance, Bare witnesses an erosion of insecurity as some dancers take time to emerge from their shells. One dancer observes the beauty of nudity by saying it “opens up sides of themselves they normally don’t show.” We never get to see what the whole actual performance looked like. What we do get to see of the rehearsals, is these naked men endlessly crawling over each other, standing about like statues or frantically jumping around. I couldn't discern any point or narrative in all this naked turmoil (assuming that the ballet was supposed to have any). While it's fascinating to watch all these good looking men work through the rehearsal process naked, this film captures exactly what rehearsals can be: a tedious time. This is especially true when the choreographer isn't sure what he wants and he's taking almost a year to create his latest work. I knew t hat there is not going thing queer about the doc but at least I will get to see 11 naked men. Sadly it all ended up being a big bore. (2/10)
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