Berlin, the present. Murat, a closeted gay Turkish teenager, lives with his widowed mother and homophobic brother Osman. Meanwhile, Lola, a transvestite dancer in a nightclub, lives with her macho lover Bili, a rent boy. Lola and her friends are menaced by neo-Nazi youths. When Lola attempts to make contact with Murat's family, Murat discovers Lola is his brother, previously thrown on to the streets by Osman. In a subplot, wealthy, older German Friedrich becomes involved with another young rent boy, Iskender, to the consternation of Friedrich's conservative mother.
Murat visits Lola's nightclub and arranges to meet her the next day. After a nocturnal birthday party in the park, Lola argues with Bili and, leaving alone, is threatened by thugs. Later she is found dead. Bili vows to take revenge on the neo-Nazis. Dressing Murat as a transvestite whore and luring the thugs to an abandoned building, he mutilates and kills two of them but is shot dead. Murat escapes and returns home. Still in drag, he confronts Osman, who had murdered Lola himself and whose homophobia is a front for his own homosexuality. When their mother hears this she slaps Osman in the face and leaves the family home with Murat...
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Gandi Mukli ... Lola
Baki Davrak ... Murat
Erdal Yildiz ... Bilidikid
Inge Keller ... Ute
Michael Gerber ... Friedrich
Murat Yilmaz ... Iskender
Hasan Ali Mete ... Osman
Hakan Tandogan ... Fatma Souad
Cihangir Gümüstürkmen ... Lale Lokum
Celal Perk ... Sehrazat
Mesut Ozdemir ... Kalipso
This sexy, melodramatic romp through sun-drenched Brazil is the gay guilty pleasure of the year! Muscle god Erik and his two hot German friends spend their days snorkeling, absorbing Brazilian soap operas and making hot love in front of a live webcam. But Erik is hiding a terrible secret: the aftermath of a sexual tryst one violent night on the beach. Miguel, a fresh-faced TV actor, arrives on the scene and the two fall in love, but Eriks private guilt haunts the relationship. In the great tradition of tawdry yet addictive telenovelas, The Longing sensuously delivers a pulpy blend of youth, desire, love and fate.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Susanne-Marie Wrage ... Lena
Klaus Grünberg ... Johannes
Robert Lohr ... Paul
Heidemarie Rohwedder ... Martha
Manfred Kranich ... Griesbacher
Peter Lerchbaumer ... Huber
Wolfgang Packhäuser ... Chorleiter
A player in a famous orchestra finds sexual experiences with a Russian opera singer, which he enjoys much because his wife has just left due to the fact that he has purchased a porno movie. The orchestra player gets known to his neighbour, a gay man having also relationship troubles, and together they are trying hard to find a way how to go on with their lifes.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Anna Böttcher ... Vera Malkowski
Elke Czischek ... Gilla Bienentreu
Michael di Mugno ... Mann mit Arsch
Johannes Falkenberg ... Tantra-Mann
Neni Gotzmann ... Interviewerin
Isabel Hanisch ... Tantra-Frau
Katy Karrenbauer ... Veras Freundin
Alfonso Losa ... Benno (as Alfonso Losa-Eßers)
Michael Lott ... Horst Bömmelburg
Franka Much ... Simone Booster
Gertraud Röder ... Putzfrau im Sex-Shop
Niels Ruf ... Talkmaster
Heinrich Schafmeister ... Günter Bienentreu
Heinrich Schmieder ... Hubert
Andreja Schneider ... Kriemhild Nastrowa
Jochen Stern ... Zacharias Brettschneider
Kelly Trump ... Herself
Irmhild Wagner ... Sigi's Mother
Sven Walser ... Sigi
Frank Ripploh is a bit of a rascal: he's a bearded and shaggy-haired teacher, and he's gay with a very active sex life and an interest in making films. He keeps his personal life and teaching separate, but he sometimes corrects student papers in public toilets as he waits to score. He cruises constantly, and one evening, he meets Bernd. They become lovers. While Bernd is attentive and caring, Frank gets bored and continues his polymorphously perverse ways. For how long will Bernd and Frank tolerate each other's habits, and for how long can Frank keep his sexual orientation out of the classroom? Things come to a head during Berlin's annual Queen's Ball and the morning after.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Frank Ripploh as Frank Ripploh
Bernd Broaderup as Bernd
Orpha Termin
Peter Fahrni as Gas station attendant
Dieter Godde
Klaus Schnee
Bernd Kroger
Markus Voigtlander
Irmgard Lademacher
Gregor Becker
Marguerite Dupont
Eberhard Freudenthal
Beate Springer
Millie Büttner
Gitta Ledere
A young gay couple attempting to shoot an undercover documentary exposing a far-reaching political conspiracy finds their project and relationship threatened by jealousy. Jannis and his mute boyfriend Patrick are convinced that a recent spat of assassination attempts are politically motivated, and by going undercover in the circus they are certain that they can crack the case. When Patrick meets a nocturnal beauty named Mo whose sensitivity to sunlight forces her to operate by night, Jannis' jealousy soon threatens to sideline the investigation. Now, the only way Patrick and Jannis can be certain to get the answers to their questions is to stick together until the bitter end.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Dominik Hartl,
Julia Schwarz,
Julian Stampfer,
Liane Wagner,
Rochus Millauer
Prince in Hell is, to date, the only feature film made by director/ co-writer/ co-star Michael Stock; his one other directorial credit is "Sternenstaub verloren...," a 2005 short. Released in 1993, Prince in Hell is an example of the German branch of the gritty and reflexive New Queer Cinema.
The story of Prince in Hell, set in a gypsy-like caravan soon after the reunification of West and East Germany, is an uneasy mix of simple and would-be complex. The plot involves the disintegrating relationship of political activist and basically decent guy Stefan (Stefan Laarmann – also a co-writer) and East German heroin junkie Jockel (Michael Stock), and their back and forth involvement with the ingratiating but downward-spiraling bisexual Micha (Andreas Stadler). Another storyline involves Micha's young son Sascha (Nils-Leevke Schmidt) and his fascination with the creepy, exhibitionistic jester Firlefanz (Wolfram Haack – also a co-writer), whose grotesque puppets enact a gay fairy tale paralleling the relationship of Stefan and Jockel. Central to the disintegration of these characters is the bloated drug dealer Ingolf (Harry Baer), who 'pulls their strings' with heroin, instead of puppet wires.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Michael Stock as Jockel
Stefan Laarmann as Stefan
Andreas Stadler as Micha
Wolfram Haack as Firlefanz (the Jester)
Nils-Leevke Schmidt as Sascha
Simone Spengler as Sabine
Harry Baer as Ingolf
Andréja Schneider as the Singer
The plot takes place in New York, and in the present. In a Hotel called "Quicky" a professor blackmails a student of his into having sex with him. But when the professor puts on a condom, the carnivorous condom bites off his penis and disappears. Detective Mackaroni who gets the case thinks that the college girl just bit off her teacher's penis! Mackaroni goes to the motel himself to check out the crime scene, in the lobby he finds a gigolo named Bill and he asks him to follow him to crime room, there the two men attempt to have sex when they are suddenly interrupted by the attack of a killer condom.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Udo Samel
Peter Lohmeyer
Marc Richter
Leonard Lansink
Iris Berben
This run of the mill German TV movie is directed by the charming Andreas Struck, who recently came to visit us down South American Way (along with fellow gay film maker Wieland Speck, the latter honored with his own Retrospective). Andreas came to premiere his TV movie as a feature film at the heavily German-oriented Mix Brazil 200, the 8th Annual Film Festival of Sexual Diversity, which usually travels through four South American cities in November/early December................ The organizers may as well have added the qualifier; "- and showcase of the German gay film and 20th century history" to the Festival's title. Following last November's premiere of Rosa von Praunheim's EINSTEIN OF SEX, and the neo-Nazi skin head OI WARNING!, MOLOCH, and several other rather extreme examples of German film and history, Sao Paulo's film and history buffs were treated to an unprecedented follow up this year............. It was in this context that CHILL OUT was presented. As part of this extraordinary Teutonic feast of sexually charged, educational and homo erotic film making, it was unfortunately put to shame; just way out of its league. Premiering the same day a controversial showing of Leni Riefenstahl's "Olympia II, Festival of Beauty" coincided with the South American premiere of the acclaimed documentary "Paragraph 175," CHILL OUT clearly came off as amateurish and banal. Even without the formidable competition from its counterpart German features shown, the other (French, Japanese, South African, Brazilian, but mainly American) films and shorts, the other 'sexually-diverse' films, already acclaimed at Sundance, Berlin, and throughout the world, were clearly in another league........The directors of this Festival are very Berlin-oriented, and CHILL OUT obviously rode on Berlin's coat tail. It is an average TV movie to be seen on a cold night, at home, and expecting the now standard 'love triangle' of the '90s and '00s, with the equally pervasive themes and locales of re unified Berlin, its reconstruction and transformation.......... As a Germanophile, I found it tolerable. Most of the sold-out audience sat through out as a sign of respect to the director, and expecting the heavily-hyped electronic sound track, which, sadly, was about as unimpressive as the film. Its not-long 91 minutes seemed merciless as the plot thickened with sub plots of chance happenings, accidents, stolen credit cards, and a very contested last will and testament....The director is a really nice guy though. And I think he enjoyed his first trip to Brazil. Outside this festival setting with a captive audience, however, I think the film would be unwatchable.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Tatjana Blacher ... Anna
Sebastian Blomberg ... Johann
Werner Heinrichmöller ... Mann am Stadtplan
Gerhard Hoffmann
Thordis König
Jarreth J. Merz ... Schuhverkäufer (as Jarreth Merz)
Horst-Günter Marx ... Lorenz (as Horst Günther Marx)
Horst Markgraf ... Tankstellenwart
Andreas Stadler ... Simon
Barnaby Metschurat ... Max
Hundreds of years after humans have settled on Mars, Regulator Rogul and Lord Jens Maul, lead a force of Martians to Earth in order to conquer the planet. Queen Metaphor looks to the gay heroes aboard the spaceship Surprise -- Captain Kork, Mr. Spuck, and first engineer Schrotty -- for help.
In the year 2304, Earth is under attack. The armies of Mars, led by the Regulator and his top aid Jens Maul, want to invade the Blue Planet. Queen Metapha and her council are out of options, the entire space fleet has been wiped out already. The entire fleet minus one ship, to be exact: The "Surprise" has traveled that far off course that nobody actually misses it and its - er - lukewarm crew. While Earth is fighting for mere survival, Captain Kork, chief engineer Schrotty and the Vulcanette first officer Mr. Spuck prepare for the annual Miss Waikiki contest aboard the ship, somewhere at the end of the universe. They are summoned to Earth by fax, but a marten damage prevents flight with pug speed, low batteries prevent beaming at business class, and economy is definitely not an option. Help is on its way in the form of Taxi pilot Rock, who takes Kork, Spuck and Schrotty to Earth HQ, where he promptly falls in love with Queen Metapha, and since his ride got shot from the sky, the government owes him money anyway. Now, a desperate plan is set in motion: The Surprise crew is to time-travel into the year 2004, where a crashing UFO brought all the new engineering knowledge to Earth, and thus made it possible to colonize Mars in the first place. With a swiss army laser, the UFO is to be destroyed and so the future to be changed. But Jens Maul and his army already come crashing through the doors, and in the chaos, Kork, Spuck, Queen Metapha and Rock manage to flee to the past, but unfortunately end up in 14th century, medieval Europe. Also, Jens Maul gets a hold of the time machine's manual and follows their track through the ages. During the time jumps, the Surprise's time travelers face new (and old) bad guys in every place they go, with Jens Maul closely at their heels. To him, the whole Mars existence is at stake, and he's quite motivated to kill for it, whereas Korks and Spucks main concern is to be back in time for the Miss Waikiki beach contest.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Michael Herbig ... Brigitte Spuck / Winnetouch / H2O2 / Abahachi (as Michael Bully Herbig)
Rick Kavanian ... Jens Maul / Schrotty / Pulle / Putzmann / Santa Maria-Ansager
Christian Tramitz ... Käpt'n Kork
Anja Kling ... Königin Metapha
Til Schweiger ... Rock Fertig Aus
Sky Dumont ... William der Letzte / Santa Maria (as Sky Du Mont)
Hans-Michael Rehberg ... Regulator Rogul
Hans Peter Hallwachs ... Konsul Kanon
Sigi Terpoorten ... Jim (as Siegfried Terpoorten)
Reiner Schöne ... Senator Bean
Christoph Maria Herbst ... Berater von William
Coming Out (1989) is the name of a film made by the East German film monopoly, DEFA. Directed by Heiner Carow and starring Matthias Freihof, Dagmar Manzel and Dirk Kummer, the film deals with the process of the protagonist's coming out. The film was shot entirely on location in East Berlin and includes scenes shot with amateurs in some of the city's gay bars and clubs. It won two awards for its treatment of the issue of homosexuality at the Berlinale in 1990. It was the only East German film to deal directly with homosexuality and was premiered on the very night that the Berlin Wall came down.
he story revolves around a young high-school teacher, Philipp Klahrmann, who during his first day at work collides with a female teacher, Tanja in one of the school's corridors. As a result of the accident Tanja and Philipp get to know each other and quickly develop a romance. While going out with Tanja, Philipp gets dragged into a gay party and there he gets to know Matthias, a shy 19-year-old who quickly becomes interested in Philipp. After they meet again by chance, Matthias invites Philipp to his birthday party that evening. After some hesitation Philipp ends up going and that night the two of them go back to Philipp's apartment and sleep together.
The situation with Tanja deteriorates, as Philipp becomes more standoffish and worried, as he begins to come out to himself. He is forced to come out to Tanja, after he and Matthias embrace during the interval at the opera. The hug which they share is clearly more than that of two good friends. Matthias is distraught upon learning that Philipp is married and runs out of the opera house. Over the next few weeks Philipp searches for Matthias, until one night he finds him in a bar with another man - one of Philipp's students. Matthias, obviously still very hurt, pushes Philipp away.
Following this Philipp goes to the bar where he and Matthias first met and becomes aggressive towards an older gay man. He then calms down and a scene follows in which, through his tears, Philipp listens as this older gentleman explains calmly that he understands what Philipp is going through, as 50 years earlier, he and his then boyfriend were arrested by the Nazis. Following this they were imprisoned in a concentration camp. In a speech designed to please the SED and DEFA, the older gay man explains how the communists helped him through his struggle.
The film ends with a scene in the classroom, as the headteacher - who obviously has discovered Philipp's sexual orientation - says that she and a group of teachers need to observe his classes to see if he's still suitable to teach. Philipp is quiet for a long time and this prompts the headteacher to say 'Kollege Klahrmann!' to which Klahrmann simply replies 'Ja'. Freihof claims that this single utterance signifies the recognition, by Philipp, of his sexual orientation and everything attendant with it. The film closes with a shot of Philipp leaving his apartment block on his bicycle.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Matthias Freihof ... Philipp
Dagmar Manzel ... Tanja
Dirk Kummer ... Matthias
Michael Gwisdek ... Achim
Werner Dissel ... älterer Herr
Gudrun Ritter ... Frau Moellemann
Walfriede Schmitt ... Philipp's mother
Axel Wandtke ... Jakob
Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss ... Araber (as Pierre Bliss)
René Schmidt
Thomas Gumpert
Ursula Staack
Robert Hummel ... Lutz
Horst Ziethen
Gertraud Kreissig
Summer Storm govori o životu jedne mlade osobe čiji hormoni pucaju na sve strane pri otkrivanju svoje seksualnosti, te koje su posljedice kada se prestanemo pretvarati. Film je napravljen prema istinitom događaju i potvrđuje još jednom tezu da ne možemo sami odlučivat u koga ćemo se zaljubiti. Odlična režija i mlada glumačka ekipa. Može se naci u videoteci što je još jedan plus mojoj ocijeni filma.
Ocijena 4/5
Ukratko…
Tobi i Achim, ponos lokalnog veslačkog kluba, prijatelji su oduvijek i uvjereni da ništa ne stoji na puti njihovog prijateljstva. Nakon što dođu u ljetni kamp Achim provodi više vremena sa svojom novom djevojkom Sandrom nego sa njim. Tobi rastrgan sa svojim novonastalim osjećajima prema Achim-u poigrava se sa Sandrinom prijateljicom kako bi izazvao neku reakciju u Achim-u. Kada u kamp dođe gay team iz Berlina, Tobi je totalno zbunjen i cijela se situacija mijenja. Vecer prije velike utrke izbije velika oluja ali ne samo vremenska.
IMDb:
Tobi and Achim have been best mates for years. As cox and oarsman, they have lead their rowing club to win several rowing cups in the past and are now looking forward to win a big regatta in the countryside of Germany. But this trip isn't your usual summer camp experience and problems soon arise. As Achim's relationship with his girlfriend Sandra, who's also on the team, grows more and more serious, Tobi starts to realize that his feelings for Achim run much deeper than he's willing to admit to himself. He feels confused, unsure of himself and increasingly left out by his friend Alex and the team. When Sandra's best friend Anke shows her interest in him, his anxiety starts to grow. When it turns out that the much-anticipated Berlin girls' team has been replaced by a team of athletic, cliché-bursting young gay men, Tobi and his teammates are suddenly forced to grapple with their prejudices, their fears, and, perhaps, their hidden longings. As the tension grows, Tobi, Achim and the others head towards a confrontation as fierce and liberating as the summer storm that's gathering over the lake. And Tobi realizes he has to start facing some facts about himself he didn't dare to face before.
Detalji:
Glumci: Robert Stadlober - Tobi Glumačka ostvarenja: Summer Storm (2004), Enemy At The Gates (2001), Crazy (2000), Sun Alley (1999), Kai Rabe gegen die Vatikankiller
(1998)
Jürgen Tonkel - Hansi Glumačka ostvarenja:The Downfall: Hitler and the End of the Third Reich (2004), Summer Storm (2004), Do Fish Do It? (2002) Double Pack (2000), And Nobody Weeps for Me (1996), Trip - Die nackte Gitarre 0,5, Der (1996), Distel, Die (1992)
Before the Fall, also known as NaPolA: Hitler's Elite, is a German movie directed and written by Dennis Gansel released in 2004.
As Hitler launches the first major military aggressions of World War II, the strongest and smartest German young men enter exclusive schools known as "Napolas" to train as future leaders of the Third Reich. In 1942, a recruiter from one such Napola sets his sights on Friedrich, a talented adolescent boxer, who sees the training and prestige offered by the Napola as his ticket out of an impoverished family unit run by his anti-Nazi father.
In the Napola, Friedrich learns to fight without pity, becoming a formidable killing machine. Propagandistic classes reinforce a hardened worldview of his Aryan superiority.
Meanwhile, Friedrich forms a bond with fellow cadet Albrecht Stein, an aspiring writer and son of the local Nazi governor. Governor Stein dotes on Friedrich, barely masking his contempt for his own son’s sensitivity. But Friedrich admires and empathizes with his friend, even though Albrecht criticizes Friedrich’s brutality in the ring.
As the war escalates, the school's military training also intensifies. Unscrupulous trainers humiliate the more vulnerable cadets in front of their peers and send the others out on dubious war game exercises. In one such nightmarish event, they instruct Friedrich and Albrecht to shoot escaping POW’s who turn out to be unarmed Russian civilians. Tormented with guilt, Albrecht rebels, and Friedrich must choose between his sworn allegiance to the Fuehrer and his best friend’s moral. imperative.
Nagrade (Awards):
Best Direction, Bavarian Film Awards, 2005
Best international film, Hamptons International Film Festival, 2004
Best Actor, Max Riemelt, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2004
Best film, Viareggio EuropaCinema, 2004
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Max Riemelt ... Friedrich Weimer
Tom Schilling ... Albrecht Stein
Jonas Jägermeyr ... Christoph Schneider
Leon A. Kersten ... Tjaden (as Leon Alexander Kersten)
Thomas Drechsel ... Hefe
Martin Goeres ... Siegfried 'Siggi' Gladen
Florian Stetter ... Justus von Jaucher
Devid Striesow ... Heinrich Vogler
Joachim Bissmeier ... Dr. Karl Klein 'Karl der Große' / Anstaltsleiter
Michael Schenk ... Josef Peiner 'Peiniger' / Sportlehrer
Justus von Dohnanyi ... Gauleiter Heinrich Stein (as Justus von Dohnŕny and Justus von Dohnányi)
Claudia Michelsen ... Frau Stein
Julie Engelbrecht ... Katharina
Johannes Zirner ... Torben Send
Gerald Alexander Held ... Herr Weimer (as Alexander Held)
The Bubble is a 2006 Israeli film by Eytan Fox about a gay love story between an Israeli man and a Palestinian man.
Noam, a young Israeli working at a check point while on reserve duty, witnesses a Palestinian woman giving birth to a dead baby; he also notices a young Palestinian man there, Ashraf. He then gets back to Tel Aviv as he has finished his military service. There he shares a flat with another gay man, Yali and a girl, Lulu, who works in a soap shop.
Ashraf comes back to return Noam's passport which he had dropped and left at the check point. The two men kiss and it is agreed that he will move in with them and work in Yali's bar, as he could not be openly gay in Palestine. However, despite taking on a Hebrew name Shimi and so forth, a man that Lulu has slept with susses him out, and he runs off back to his family in Palestine.
Noam and Lulu dress up as French TV journalists and drive to his parents' house and there the two men kiss. Ashraf's future brother-in-law Jihad sees them and repudiates him; adds he has to marry a girl his family has chosen for him. Before his sister's wedding ceremony, he tells her he is in love with a boy, which she does not accept either.
A little later, he goes off to join the Israelis at an anti-war rave party on a beach. Later still, Yali gets maimed in a bombing in Tel Aviv, while he was out in a bar. He will never walk again.
Similarly, Ashraf's sister is killed in a military raid, before his very eyes. At the funeral all the men from his family appear very vengeful but he doesn't. His brother-in-law Jihad decides to avenge the death of his newlywed bride, and while creating a suicide video, Ashraf decides to take Jihad's place as a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv.
When Asraf primes his explosive belt, Noam sees him from inside the bar where he just bought Yali's and Lulu's dinner, and rushes out to Ashraf. As Noam approaches, Ashraf turns and ignites the explosives, killing them both and well as causing other injuries and damage to the cafe. Death has won but love has won, too. The film ends with Noam, talking in the background about the love the two shared, and a scene where young Noam and young Ashraf had played together as young kids in Jerusalem, their mothers sitting side by side.
17-year-old Meni wears only the most fashionable clothes, interested in music, loves the cinema and works as a rent boy. He had a baby from Mika, a young drug addict prostitute. He has an adoptive mother who is also a trans-gender prostitute and clients that contact him on his cell-phone. One night he meets Tal, also a hustler and they decide to spend the night together. During that night their lives get a new meaning, but can the little hope change the life they are used to from early age? In the morning they decide to meet later at the club. Until the awaited meeting, both of them will have to deal with their weary routine of clients, marginalized people and unexpected events.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Daniel Efrat ... Menni
Yuval Raz ... Tal
Nili Tzerruya ... Mika
Ori Urian ... Eran
Tomer Ilan ... Lior
Gila Goldstein Grace
Benny Eldar ... Daniel
Walk on Water - The real meaning of 'walking on water' is that one has to get out of the boat and have enough confidence to do it. That is also the theme of this film, with its connections to the past and the present in an uneasy mingling of prejudices and learning; how to overcome those personal inhibitions and flaws to finally be able to walk on water.
Eyal is an agent in Mossad, the Israeli security service. He is a hitman who targets enemies of Israel and of the Jews for a living. His wife has recently committed suicide, and the agency decides that he needs to take on a less challenging assignment: to find an aging Nazi war criminal and kill him "before God gets to him".
In order to track down the old man, Eyal poses as a tour guide and befriends the Nazi's adult grandchildren, Axel and Pia. Pia lives on a kibbutz, an Israeli commune. Her brother Axel visits her in order to convince Pia to return to Germany for their father's seventieth birthday.
Although he has a job to perform, Eyal truly befriends Axel and Pia. They spend time together and Eyal enjoys himself, even if he would not openly admit so. His friendship with Axel allows him to display some humanity, letting down his tough-guy machismo. Eyal and Axel even take a mud bath by the Dead Sea, showering off together in the nude afterward.
When the three are at dinner one night in a Tel Aviv restaurant, Axel speaks privately to the Palestinian waiter, Rafik, and finds out where the best club in town is. Later that evening, Axel, Pia, and Eyal arrive at the club. Eyal is shocked to discover that it is a gay club. He sees Axel dancing with Rafik and is taken aback.
Eyal is initially disgusted and disappointed to discover that Axel is gay. He asks to be removed from the assignment, not attempting to hide his homophobia as the reason. His boss insists that Eyal finish the mission. Eyal visits Germany and comes to realize that Axel's orientation is unimportant. Axel and Pia are decent people who demonstrate that most Germans have gotten beyond the hatred that led to the Holocaust. Eyal realizes that hatred based on accidents of birth are counterproductive and he accepts Axel and Pia as Germans and Axel as a homosexual.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Eyal, a Mossad agent (Lior Ashkenazi)
Axel Himmelman, a young German man (Knut Berger)
Pia Himmelman, Axel's sister, who lives on an Israeli kibbutz (Caroline Peters)
Menachem, Eyal's boss (Gideon Shemer)
Rafik, a young Palestinian man whom Axel 'hooks up' with (Yousef 'Joe' Sweid)
Yossi & Jagger is a 2002 Israeli romantic drama film directed by Eytan Fox about soldiers at the Israel – Lebanon border who try to find some peace and solace from the daily routine of war.
Yossi (Ohad Knoller) commands a troop of soldiers in the snow-covered mountains near Lebanon. In secrecy, he leads a passionate homosexual relationship with his second-in-command officer, Lior (Yehuda Levi), who is called Jagger by everyone for his rock star-like handsomeness. One day, a colonel (Sharon Raginiano) arrives at the base with two female soldiers, one of whom he immediately sleeps with in the bunker. The other one, Yaeli (Aya Koren, credited as Aya Steinovitz), is very interested in Jagger, while she refuses the sexual advances of Ofir (Assi Cohen), who tries to make clear to her that Jagger is not particularly interested in her.
The colonel is there to supervise a night-time ambush, of which Yossi is resentful because of the full moon, and also because he fears for his soldiers' safety. And indeed Jagger is fatally injured that night, dying in the arms of his lover, who only now is able to articulate his love for him.
At the funeral reception at Jagger's parents' house, Jagger's mother mistakes Yaeli for his girlfriend. She laments that she knew very little about her son, including his favorite song, which only Yossi is able to tell her.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Ohad Knoller as Yossi
Yehuda Levi as Lior Amichai 'Jagger'
Assi Cohen as Ophir
Aya Steinovitz as Yaeli
Hani Furstenberg as Goldie
Sharon Raginiano as The Colonel
Yuval Semo as Psycho
Yaniv Moyal as Samoncha
Hanan Savyon as Adams
Erez Kahana as Yaniv the Cook
Shmulik Bernheimer as Shmuel 'Shmulik' Amichai
Yael Pearl as Varda Amichai
Here’s a screwball comedy for lesbians, words you rarely see together. Mora and her girlfriend Roberta have been together for a while and are ready to take the next step in their relationship, having a child. Mora wants her brother, Felipe, to be the father of Roberta’s child, so that both parents will share DNA with their child. There’s one minor problem. Mora has never told her brother that she’s a lesbian. So, she must come out to him and convince him to sleep with her girlfriend all in the same night. (The viewers are told the couple didn’t want to do artificial insemination because of the cost). There are numerous sight gags and visits from Felipe’s girlfriend and a potential business partner who add to the madcap comedy. The problem with this film is all the gags are familiar to anyone who has seen some classic screwball comedies, the only thing new is the lesbian angle. The comedy here is unsurprising and feels tired and worn out. Even the pacing, so important in any screwball comedy, seems off. It’s too rushed at the start and too slow the rest of the time. There is some female nudity in this Pablo Sofovich film. (In Spanish with English subtitles). Playing with ‘The Favor’ is the 12-minute short film, ‘PROM-troversy.’ It’s the tale of a lesbian wanting to go to her high school prom with the girl favored to be named prom queen. It’s a cute little film on a subject that’s a bit tired.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring): Javier Lombardo (Felipe), Victoria Onetto (Roberta), Bernarda Pages (Mora), Mariana Briski (Faustina, )Luis Margani (Caligari)
The haunted psychologies of the individual and the national combine in the Spanish film EL MAR (THE SEA). During the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, three friends witness the horrific murder of a classmate. Many years later, the three find themselves reunited, although under less than happy circumstances. Tur and Ramallo have been quarantined for tuberculosis, and their old friend Francisca is a nun working in the asylum. They all remain haunted by what occurred during the war, as all of Spain was, and struggle to reconcile with their pasts, their religion, and the growing homosexual attraction between Tur and Ramallo. EL MAR has won international acclaim for its acting and unforgettable visuals. After being nominated for two Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of the Oscar), EL MAR went on to win the Manfred Salzgeber Award for innovation and a nomination for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival as well as being featured at the San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring): Roger Casamajor, Bruno Bergonzini, Antonia Torrens
Callas Forever is a 2002 biographical film made in Bucharest, Romania, Córdoba in Andalusia, Spain, and Paris.
The partially fictionalized film is set in 1977, the year in which Callas died, and centers on the making of a movie of Georges Bizet's Carmen. The diva, whose now-ragged voice is well past its prime, is persuaded to star in it by longtime friend and former manager Larry Kelly, who abandoned classical music to become a rock impresario. He insists by lip-synching to her old recording she will recapture her lost youth and leave behind a priceless legacy for her admirers, and his theory is supported by Callas confidante and journalist Sarah Keller.
Other characters include Michael, a handsome young painter of limited talent and ardent Callas fan with whom Larry is infatuated; Marco, the tenor who plays Don José in Carmen and flirts with his aging co-star, who responds to his advances; and Bruna, the housekeeper in Callas' Paris apartment.
Callas' passion for music and faith in herself are restored by the finished film. She refuses to lip-synch more filmed operas but agrees to star in a screen adaptation of Tosca if it is filmed live, using her own voice. When the financial backers walk out and the contract is canceled, she demands that Larry destroy Carmen, arguing its release would be contrary to her legacy of honest performances, even those she delivered on really awful nights when her fans wanted to close their ears and hide their eyes with embarrassment and disappointment. Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Fanny Ardant ..... Maria Callas
Jeremy Irons ..... Larry Kelly
Joan Plowright ..... Sarah Keller
Jay Rodan ..... Michael
Gabriel Garko ..... Marco
Anna Lelio ..... Bruna
No Se Lo Digas a Nadie or Don't Tell Anyone - Joaquin comes from a traditional Peruvian middle-class family, and is expected to marry and begin another one. He realises that he is gay, and confides in his best friend Alejandra, who determines to make him straight. They date for a while, but when they meet Alejandra's friend Rocia and her boyfriend Gonzalo, Joaquin finds out that Gonzalo too is gay. The men begin meeting in secret, but Gonzalo accepts fully the double standard of Peruvian society, and is happy to stay in the closet. Joaquin won't settle for a fake marriage, and drops out of college, looking for a less conventional option.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring): Santiago Magill, Lucia Jimenez, Christian Meier, Carmen Elias, Hernan Romero and Giovanni Ciccia.
Avant la nuit (Before Night Falls) - The story of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas. Raised in the Oriente Province of Cuba in the 1940s, Arenas began his life-long love of the sea and water. Leaving home as a young adolescent, he moves to Havana where he finds himself swept up in the revolutionary spirit and joins a circle of writers and artists. His first novel, "Singing from the Well," is published in Cuba, but as Castro's oppressive regime gathers force, Arenas' homosexuality and political writing make him a target. After being falsely accused of molestation, Arenas is arrested and imprisoned at El Morro. Eventually released from prison after dehumanizing treatment, Arenas flees Cuba in the 1980 Mariel Harbor boatlift. Moving to New York with his friend Lazaro Gomez Carilles, Arenas' hopes for a new life are destroyed by AIDS, and he dies in 1993, at the age of 45.
Awards:
2000: Venice International Film Festival: Silver Lion – Jury's special award: Julian Schnabel
2000: Venice International Film Festival: Coppa Volpi (Best Actor): Javier Bardem
2000: National Board of Review Award for Best Actor:Best Actor: Javier Bardem
2000: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
2000: National Board of Review Awards: Freedom of Expression
2000: Political Film Society Award for Expose
2000: Independent Spirit Awards: Best Actor: Javier Bardem
Ocjena: 5/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Javier Bardem - Reinaldo Arenas
Johnny Depp - Lieutenant Victor/Bon Bon
Olivier Martinez - Lazaro Gomez Carriles
Andrea Di Stefano- Pepe Malas
Sean Penn - Cuco Sanchez
Michael Wincott - Herberto Zorilla Ochoa
Najwa Nimri - Fina Zorilla Correa
Héctor Babenco - Virgilio Pinera
Olatz Lopez Garmendia - Reinaldo's Mother
Vito Maria Schnabel - Teenage Reinaldo Arenas
Julian Hernandez's beautiful "Broken Sky" is that increasing rarity, a film that is fully realized visually. Keeping dialogue at a minimum, Hernandez and inspired cinematographer Alejandro Cantu create a constant interplay between light and shadow, movement and stillness, dramatic spaces of architectural grandeur and intimate enclosures to evoke the ever-shifting emotions of an all-consuming first love.
"Broken Sky - El Cielo Dividido" is as much choreographed as it is directed, and its actors' movements, gestures and expressions verge on those of dance. The film is as formal in structure as it is romantic in its sweep, yet it's a very disciplined work; never is visual flourish merely for its own effect but to express the turbulent emotions of its young lovers, which are in turn underlined by an evocative selection of pop music.
Gerardo (Miguel Angel Hoppe) zeroes in on Jonas (Fernando Arroyo) sitting near the top of an open-air staircase. The camera swirls 360 degrees around Gerardo to convey Jonas' effect on him. Gerardo puts his hand on Jonas' shoulder and in no time they are caught up in a heady romance. Both are students at the University of Mexico, an international landmark of superb Midcentury Modern design. Gerardo has been the pursuer, yet Jonas freely reciprocates Gerardo's passion. But the intensity of Jonas' feelings ultimately doesn't match that of Gerardo, who it turns out has an admirer in Sergio (Alejandro Rojo).
The situation is scarcely unusual, but Hernandez's approach makes all the difference, trusting the camera to reveal the ebb and flow of emotions that sweep over all three men. Amusingly, as is the case with countless more conventional campus movies, the young men are not overburdened with homework, but "Broken Sky" is an altogether deeply affecting film from the maker of the celebrated "A Thousand Clouds of Peace."
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring): Miguel Angel Hoppe Canto, Fernando Arroyo, Alejandro Rojo, Klaudia Aragon
In the Spanish film "Second Skin," Elena (Ariadna Gil) is seemingly happily married to Alberto (Jordi Molla)until she begins to sense that something is wrong in the relationship. Elena tries discussing the problem, but Alberto consistently denies that anything is wrong. Elena discovers hotel receipts in her husband's pocket, and she confronts him about an affair and 'the other woman.' Alberto admits having an affair, but his new relationship is with another man, and he hides this from Elena.
With SEGUNDA PIEL or Second Skin, Director Gerardo Vera joins the ranks of such luminaries as Pedro Almadovar in achieving flawless vignettes of Spanish storytelling. He has assembled a cast of some of the finest actors on the screen today and manages to present a wholly credible story of a gender crisis love triangle.
Javier Bardem is inimitable as a sensitively wrought gay surgeon in love with a bisexual man (again, in a brilliant performance by Jordi Molla) who is married to a wise if fragile woman (sensitively acted by Ariadna Gil). Bardem's best friend is a fellow surgeon (the wondrous Cecilia Roth) who helps him through the highs and lows of his love affair with a man who is conflicted to the extreme. To tell more of the story would be to deprive the viewer of the impact. Suffice it to say that with the consistently excellent performances by this stunning quartet under the ever sensitive eye of Vera, this is a film to see again and again.
Why is it that American actors have so much difficulty playing gay men? These two Spanish actors, coming from a society that is machismo, still make their lovers wholly believable and sensusal. Bravo!
It's a shame that Far From Heaven got the press and nods because Second Skin is a far more realistic portrayal of life for a gay married man. Dennis Quaid's one-dimensional and obvious "not a clue" portrayal is lackluster and shallow next to Jordi Molla's appropriately angst-ridden protrayal. With the help of this movie's screenwriter, he presents the frantic struggle for identity that stops and starts, moves forward and backward, over and over for many gay married men. He tries to have the best of both worlds, but cheats everyone, including himself, in the process. Filmgoers were often angered by his character's dishonesty, ambivalence, and vacillation--that's the best accolade one can give for a performance.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring): Javier Bardem, Jordi Moll, Ariadna Gill and Cecilia Roth
A farm boy arrives in the big city and decides to give homosexuality a try, until a dancing ball lands on his head and revives his straight genes.
This is a silly movie that many gay viewers will find mildly offensive. Marcos has just arrived in Madrid from his small country village and plans to work for his aunt and uncle until he can save up enough money to open up his own restaurant. Almost immediately after he arrives in town, he meets Marisol, who is obviously love struck. But Marcos shows no interest, even when his uncle points out that Marisol is looking like a lost puppy in love when she looks at him. Marcos instead meets Daniel one night and the two hit it off. It isn't long before they are lovers and Marcos is moving in with his new boyfriend. All is going well, except for Marisol, until one night when a mirrored ball at the dance hall falls and hits Marcos on the head. After passing out, he seems to be a different man. He no longer is interested in sex with his boyfriend, and suddenly Marisol is looking pretty good. Soon it is Daniel who is out of the picture and Marisol who is back in it. Daniel believes the only way to get back the man he loves, is to start dressing like a woman. So he makes the transition, and it's a while before Marcos recognizes him. Like I told you, silly movie. The only thing saving it from a 1 rating is the fact Boy George plays such a significant role in this otherwise forgettable movie.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring): Santiago Magill, Jorge Sanz, Tiare Scanda, Veronica Forque, Boy George
Redatelj (Directed by): David Menkes, Alfonso Albacete
Ronda Nocturna (Night Watch) - This dark, sensitive tale of an atypical night in the life of Victor, a 20-year-old Buenos Aires prostitute, puts a fresh, intelligent twist on the frequently told drama of young male hustlers. Victor plies his trade in a foreboding, seedy world with its nocturnal denizens – horny businessmen, drug addicts, fellow prostitutes, transvestites, and the homeless- and the threat of violence simmering just below the surface of most encounters. Projecting a cool nonchalance bordering on insensitivity, the handsome, mop-haired young Victor feels at peace with both this world and his trade.
The night, however, quickly takes on an ominous feel after he narrowly escapes being hit by a car right after midnight and the beginning of All Souls Days. He is haunted by this brush with death, and as the night wears on, other incidents – threatening strangers, a friend who almost kills him after sex, the remembrance of a past love – combine to create for Victor, a subtle, surreal urban odyssey.
Ocjena: 3/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Gonzalo Heredia ... Victor
Mariana Anghileri ... Cecilia (as Moro Anghileri)
Rafael Ferro ... Mario
Dario Tripicchio ... Carlitos
Gregory Dayton ... El comisario (as Gregg Dayton)
Susana Varela ... Florista
Roman Chaploski ... Embajador (as Roman Chiaposki)
Jana Bokova ... Lady Cocaina
Diego Cunill ... Muchacho impertinente
Diego Trerotola ... Primer cliente de droga
David Solana ... Segundo cliente
Marcelo Iglesias ... La Thatcher
Cachorro is an amazing Spanish movie . I loved it ! Unfortunately you will have to be open minded (at least one bit)- or will end up not liking it ( a possibility that is). If you have seen Mala Educacion of Almodovar and any of similar European movies you won`t be shocked by the scenes in Cachorro - but would rather appreciate the directing talent of Miguel Albaladejo.
Pedro - a gay dentist enjoys his bachelor ways of life : living alone in a downtown Madrid`s apartment and having active sexual live spiced with drugs and wild parties. His sister is a hippie and is planning a trip to India - her 9 years old son Bernardo has to stay with someone for the duration of that trip and this someone happens to be Pedro. At first they both did not seem very happy with this arrangement - but as time passes they get to know each other better. An incident prolongs the stay of the mother - she is arrested in India for drug trafficking, changing the two-week vacation into a time indefinite absence. Pedro has to accept the responsibility of caring for Bernardo - which could mean changing his life a bit - being a father figure is not always easy. The young boy ( played brilliantly by David Castillo ) however is very open minded and wise - which is probably resulted from him growing up in a rather liberal environment. Up to this moment - the movie may remind you of Big Daddy or About a Boy - but it only gets better. The boys grandmother Dońa Teresa enters the scene - apparently not happy with the new arrangements she is trying to get custody of Bernardo - using even blackmailing to achieve that. The story is full of twists and indeed its ending is quite surprising and open at the same time which will allow you to select the way to conclude the story.
The movie can be categorized as drama and comedy at the same time - some scenes heartbreaking , other really entertaining .
Film Festivals:
2004 Berlin International Film Festival
2004 Tribeca Film Festival
40th Chicago International Film Festival
2004 Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
2004 Miami International GL Film Festival
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Jose Luis Garcia Perez as Pedro
David Castillo as Bernardo
Diana Cerezo as Lola
Arno Chevrier as Manuel
Empar Ferrer as Dona Teresa
Mario Arias as Javi
Yolanda sings in a seedy nightclub. When her boyfriend dies of an overdose, she fears the police and seeks refuge in a convent that saves women from the streets. These off-beat nuns include a heroin using abbess who loves Yolanda, one who writes romance novels under a pseudonym, another raising a tiger in the convent yard, and one who designs fabulous fashions and is in love with the local priest. They plan an evening extravaganza starring Yolanda to celebrate the abbess's birthday and to convince their wealthy patron not to abandon them.
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring): Carmen Maura, Julietta Serrano and Christina Pascual
Strawberry and Chocolate (Spanish: Fresa y Chocolate) is a Cuban-Spanish-Mexican co-produced film, directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, based on the short story "The Wolf, The Forest and the New Man" (in Spanish, El Lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo) written by Senel Paz in 1990. Senel Paz also wrote the screenplay for the film.
The story takes place in Havana, Cuba, 1979. David (Vladimir Cruz) is a University student who meets Diego (Jorge Perugorría), an artist who is apolitical and homosexual. David's heterosexual classmate, Miguel, encourages the friendship, thinking David can then spy on a person they see as aberrant and dangerous to the communist cause, while Diego initiates the friendship with sexual intentions. Reviewer Roger Ebert comments that "nothing unfolds as we expect. Strawberry and Chocolate is not a movie about the seduction of a body, but about the seduction of a mind. It is more interested in politics than sex — unless you count sexual politics, since to be homosexual in Cuba is to make an anti-authoritarian statement whether you intend it or not."
The title refers to a comment by David that he knew immediately that Diego was gay when he chose strawberry ice cream even though chocolate was available.
Nagrade (Awards):
1995
Goya Award for Best Spanish-Language Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera de Habla Hispana)
Premio ACE awards: Cinema—Best Film, Cinema—Best Director, Cinema—Best Actor (Perugorría), and Cinema—Best Supporting Actor (Cruz)
Sundance Film Festival: Special Jury Prize:Special Mention
1994
Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Berlin Bear—Special Jury Prize, Teddy—Best Feature Film
Gramado Film Festival (Brazil): Audience Award, Kikito Critics Prize, and Golden Kikito awards in the categories of Best Latin Film, Best Actor (tie between Cruz and Perugorría), and Best Supporting Actress (Ibarra)
1993
Havana Film Festival[1]: Grand Coral—First Prize, Audience Award, FIPRESCI Prize, OCIC Award, ARCI-NOVA Award, and the categories of Best Direction, Best Actor (Perugorría), Best Actress (Luisina Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Ibarra), and Best Screenplay.
Nominated
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 1995
Golden Berlin Bear, 1994 Berlin International Film Festival
Ocjena: 4/5
Detalji:
Glumci (Starring):
Jorge Perugorria
Vladimir Cruz
Mirta Ibarra
Francisco Gattorno
Redatelj (Directed by): Tomas Gutierrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabio
