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 ...
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 are naked too, but they aren't as scary because they’re more independent and easier to look after, kind of like cats. Everyone talks about this weird situation like it's totally normal. One of the guys, Juan, likes this "man" right away and names him Max. He gives him water and feeds him leftovers from the table. Juan spends a lot of time with Max in the garden, messing with Max’s curly hair or scratching his chest. Max obviously loves it and follows Juan everywhere, looking totally sad whenever he isn't allowed to come inside the house. Juan's girlfriend starts worrying that Juan will want to bring Max home, but they aren't allowed to do that. Juan and Max get closer and closer, and for the people watching, it almost feels like a sexual attraction is starting to happen. It feels that way mostly because Max is a human man, though it depends on whether you see him as a person or a dog. The movie follows the love between Max and Juan until the very end when the vacation is over and Juan and his friends have to head home, leaving a lonely Max all by himself.
Since it’s a Berger film, I was totally waiting for that "will they or won't they" vibe between Juan and Max. Their bond feels sexy and romantic, which is what you’d expect from his other movies, but I kept asking myself if Max is actually supposed to be a dog or just a person being treated like one. The guy playing Max is incredibly hot and is naked for the entire film, which makes the whole thing feel very sensual. Besides that, I thought his acting was really good. He manages to act just like a dog without saying a word, and he doesn't use any cheesy or obvious animal-play tricks. Juan is clearly crazy about Max and tries to hide how attached he is, almost like he’s keeping a big secret. When his friends aren't around, he even sneaks Max into the house to give him a shower. It makes you feel like they're going to get in trouble, even though there shouldn't be anything wrong with washing a dirty pet. This movie is a really unique and rare story about wanting someone and being lonely, but I don't think it will have a very big audience. It was clearly made with very little money and is a huge change from Berger's older stuff, but he still manages to keep that sexual tension going, even in such a bizarre situation. I actually think this would have been better as a short film because there’s only so much you can watch when it comes to a man showing affection to a man-dog. If it wasn't for the fact that the actor playing Max is so gorgeous, the movie would definitely start to feel too slow at some points. I'm glad the filmmaker tried something totally different as an experiment, but it probably won't work for most people. Personally, I thought it was just okay.
It's a very strange experiment that explores human connection in a way you've never seen before, even if it gets a bit repetitive. (5.5/10)
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