Reviews (44)

A Strange Sort of Peace
In today's world of multi-million-dollar-budget films it's easy to develop high expectations. We're accustomed now to realities whose sights and sounds have been tweaked by talent and technology to perfection--we now see exactly what the director hoped we would, rather than settling for less-impressive, but more-thoughtful, innuendos and visual metaphors.

So in some ways it's refreshing to partake of a lower-budget production like Bent. The world of staged theatre is a simpler, more intellectual one than that of cinema, and too often an exquisitely crafted stage play is "technologized" beyond recognition when it is shot for the screen. But, no doubt because playwright Martin Sherman himself adapted the screenplay, Bent still feels as nakedly thoughtful as the best small-cast stage dramas.

The story centers on the relationship between Max, a gay jew in Hitler's Germany, and Horst, whose character is introduced in such a way that we're half-surprised to realize later in the film that he's the same person we met on the train. But that is the beauty of the playwright's craft: in art, as in life, people we meet as "passing strangers" can come to touch us profoundly.

The sets Mathias chooses as backdrops for the story are far from accurate historically, but they are perfectly chosen to support the mood of the film--Max and Horst, like the star-crossed lovers in a Shakespeare tragedy, are lonely pawns to forces much larger than they. Indeed, Bent offers the most tragically romantic scenes of any film I've seen. Two lovers, brought together by the same forces that keep them forever apart, survive on fantasy and suggestion in a world where life, in so many ways, has no meaning.

Bent is not a "feel-good" movie. But again, the art of Bent allows us to find peace in the lives and love of two strangers who met on a train.

Evocative of a stage play, important material
The movie has been set to feel a bit more like a stage play than a film, but it works nonetheless. It covers the story of two gay men who meet in a Nazi death camp and a very inspiring if ultimately tragic love story. Gays and lesbians are the often-forgotten victims of the Holocaust, and this movie and the play it is based on are important, also, because of its contribution to Holocaust studies in general. Mick Jager's unusual appearance as a drag queen is also interesting. As a source of education, there is some sexual content that makes the film inappropriate for use in high school classrooms without a bit of editing, but I think unedited material is very well suited to a college classroom--and is essential viewing for anyone interested in the Holocaust. An important piece of GLBT heritage.

For dedicated homophiles with strong stomachs only
This is the story of the concentration camp inmates forced to wear the pink triangle, symbol of their homosexuality.

This film was formerly a successful play and perhaps it succeeded because of its shocking topic, but this director is no Steven Spielberg. Never did I feel one bit of realism or sympathy for the characters although the brutality was unceasing and the story intense. For example, a boxcar scene which might have worked in a play was just too stagy, and the camera lingered much too lovingly over attractive semi-nude male bodies. We've found out by then, of course, that the title, Bent, refers to the shape of the lead character's male organ although there were no camera shots of this. The dialog seemed contrived, the prisoners all looked too healthy and fit, and, while this film might be applauded for handling, at last, a forbidden topic, it just didn't work as a film. Even Mick Jagger, miscast in the role of a drag queen who runs a nightclub in Berlin, just couldn't save it.

I love this movie
I was really happy with the positive reviews that Bent has been getting here, I love the film and am always disapointed when a reviewer blows it off. This movie literally made me sob (my emotions are easily manipulated)both times I watched it. I've heard a lot of pissing and moaning about the "sex" scene but I thought it was really beautiful, wonderfully acted and very moving. I completely love this movie and can honestly say I wouldn't change one thing about it. Oh, and the reviewer who reviewed right before me is a very scary neo nazi. Someone should let him know that homophobia is never attractive and I would not be shocked to learn that he was a slightly impared and amply pimpled teenager. With no friends.

The most impacting GLBT film I have ever seen...
I have seldom seen a film which stuck me on such an emotional level. It is rare for a film to have a lasting impact on me, but I left the theatre changed after watching "Bent". It is right up there with "Requiem for a Dream" as movies that can be labled psychological brutality, albiet very worthwhile psychological brutality. A truely superb film. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The Life And Crimes Of Dawn Davenport
John Waters' follow up to his classic PINK FLAMINGOS doesn't plume the same depths of hilarious depravity but is still an entertaining movie. FEMALE TROUBLE sees Waters (who also co-edits and wrote the lyrics for the title song) reteaming with PINK FLAMINGOS stars Divine (who also performs the title song) and Mink Stole (who is also credited with the stills).
FEMALE TROUBLE tells the tale of the life and crimes of Dawn Davenport (Divine) beginning with her High School days in 1960. After destroying Christmas for her family Dawn runs away from home and is picked up hitch-hiking by a sleazy guy who impregnates her. Not surprisingly she ends up giving birth to her daughter in typically tasteless Waters fashion.
With a daughter to support and a scuzzy hippie boyfriend spongeing off her earnings, Dawn works a series of menial jobs from waitress, hooker and gogo dancer (not a pretty sight) before discovering her true niche as a career criminal. As a result she meets a bizarre artistic couple who want to photograph Dawn's crimes because they feel "Crime equals beauty". This predictably leads to media fame and plenty of Waters' bad taste: gratuitous nudity (not the good kind), maiming, mutilation, incest- all the usual barrel scraping (Which I don't have the heart to spoil for potential viewers), though this is pretty tame compared to PINK FLAMINGOS which I still consider to be his masterpiece.
FEMALE TROUBLE will appeal to cult movie buffs but mainstream viewers should probably steer clear; especially those only familiar with his more accessible PG rated movies like HAIRSPRAY and CRY BABY. Connoisseurs of camp and vulgarity will love it. Personally, I have mixed feelings about FEMALE TROUBLE hence my 3 star rating. I still rate later Waters' movies like SERIAL MOM and CECIL B. DEMENTED higher than this, but it's still worth a look.

Divine at her best!
Finally! A re-release of this John Waters classic! I was fortunate enough to find an original copy of this in sealed condition on e-bay. It tells the tale of misunderstood Dawn Davenport, the girl in high school who was cool because most of the other girls hated her, and she didn't care. She has to deal with parents who don't understand her, and later, teen pregnancy (fathered by, of all people, herself!). We then get to see what her traumatic formative years formed her into, and the type of laissez-faire parent she would become.

Again, John Waters uses his wry wit to point out glaring facets of modern culture, and views on beauty and the near deification of criminals. It's a must see for any true John Waters fan!

Beware of the girl who does not get her cha-cha heels
In my opinion, John Water's movies have always been smarter on paper than most give him credit for. All of his work skewers the establishment was well as some of its offshoots and although intended to be shocking (in many instances just for the sake of being able to do so), my favorite moments generally involve the amazing Mink Stole and when John Waters in a very matter of fact fashion throws in something absolutely jaw-dropping as if it were just another scene.

On one hand you'll have people who will find Waters' early work to be too repulsive to watch and on the other extreme, you'll find others who worship his movies without any reservation and reject any critique as a sign that people just don't get it. My perspective is a little different as after watching Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living, my view is that while the ideas continue to be as fresh as they were made in the mid to late 1970's, his early work is much funnier when taken in little dozes rather than full length movies. Although, many may disagree I find Desperate Living to be his early best, while Female trouble is highly overrated. Pink Flamingos falls somewhere between the two.

There are scenes in Desperate Living that had me laughing so hard that I cried. In fact, the first half hour of the film is absolutely hilarious. Every scene involving Jean Hill who plays the hilarious Grizelda Brown and/or Mink Stole who plays the crazed Peggy Gravel, is a gag waiting to happen. There is a scene that takes place after something horrible happens (like I am going to tell you what happened) when Peggy is driving away with Grizelda that is worth the price of owning this movie. Said scene has Mink Stole going off like a madwoman regarding her hatred of nature, and it never fails to surprise me how funny she is. As happens with most of Waters' early films, it ultimately runs out of steam and starts relying too much on shock value and by now almost any Waters fan is hard to shock visually so it better be funny too. Desperate Living is my favorite early John Waters film, although many find it to be his most grim and depressing.

Female Trouble is one of the early Waters movies that most fans tend to like, and I just did not like it at all. Of course no John Waters film can ever be made without having hilarious moments, but they are far and few in between and I was mostly bored. Mink Stole as usual steals every scene that she is in and she does a variation on her "I hate nature" soliloquy from "Desperate Living," this time involving humans. Although I could not get enough of Edith Massey as the egg lady Pink Flamingos or as Queen Carlotta in desperate living, her role in Female Trouble made me feel for her as I was not laughing with her or could not bring myself to laugh at her. While she has her moments and awesome potty mouth, Waters (possibly without meaning to) takes her costumes to a point where you want to hug her instead of laughing. Divine has the opposite effect as the cruder and ruder that she is, the more that I loved her in this movie.

Pink Flamingos, which is Waters' breakout movie, without a doubt uses shock value more than any of his subsequent films. It is supposedly centered around defining who is the filthiest person alive in Waters' beloved Phoenix, Maryland. Since this was Waters' first fully realized early picture, he went for the jugular in trying to get away with as much gross out material as possible. The story, as is the case with Female Trouble, is not worth following and starts to get old quickly, but there are MANY scenes that will shock the numbest person alive. In many instances, the shock is not a bad thing as my motto is if it's funny, bring it on. Edith Massey as the egg lady is so funny that I can't help seeing her scenes over and over again. There are little touches as the manner in which Divine steals some ham, or apparently throwaway scenes involving dealing drugs and a baby selling ring, that are too funny to describe.

In a nutshell, I think that John Waters in hilarious and is responsible for some of the funniest movies of our time (as is the case with Serial Mom, just to name one), but these early exercises in guerilla filmmaking work better as boundary pushers than fully realized self contained movies. Those who enjoyed Jackass - The Movie, said movie would probably never have seen the light of day if it were not for John Waters, and although some may wish that such were the case, I for one think that Jackass - The Movie is one of the funniest movies ever. Part of that success is due to Johnny Knoxville not attempting to create a linear narrative or a storyline but intertwining bigger and smaller ideas just for the sake of making us laugh. Maybe it was not a choice at the time, but all of Waters' early movies would have worked much better with extensive editing and bypassing the narrative to focus on being funny.

I give Desperate Living 3.5 stars, Pink Flamingos 2.5 stars, and Female Trouble 1.5 stars. New Line home videos has released several two-packs of John Waters' films, but none that I know of that have Desperate Living and Pink Flamingos on the same package. I mention this because in my opinion, Female Trouble is not a must see by any stretch of the imagination, even for hard-core Waters fans.

"Who wants to be famous? Who wants to die for Art?"
In "Female Trouble," when teen rebel, Dawn Davenport (Divine), doesn't get the pair of Cha-Cha heels she wants for Christmas, her temper tantrum ruins the family christmas. Dad threatens to send Dawn to a school for juvenile delinquents, and so Dawn runs away wearing proposterous turquoise blue baby doll pyjamas and fluffy blue mules. A brief encounter with a rather disgusting fellow named Earl Peterson (also played by Divine) leads to Dawn becoming a single parent, and Dawn's life goes downhill from here.

Characters in this film not to be missed include:

Donald and Donna Dasher (David Lochary and Mary Vivian Pearce)--the creepy owners of the Lipstick Beauty Salon whose rather nasty habits include liquid eyeliner. They believe that "Crime and Beauty are One" and encourage Dawn's exhibitionism and violent criminal tendencies.

Another great character is Aunt Ida (Edith Massey). She dreams that her nephew Gater will come to his senses and become gay, but her hopes are dashed when Gater, a stylist at the Lipstick Beauty Salon walks down the aisle with Dawn. Aunt Ida and Dawn are neighbours and sworn enemies.

Cookie Mueller has a small role as Concetta--Dawn's high school friend who later forms a girl gang with Dawn, and she also helps muscle Taffy when she gets rebellious.

Dawn's daughter, Taffy, is played by Mink Stole. She flounces around in little Shirley Temple dresses and alternately infuriates and frustrates her mother, Dawn. This mother-daughter relationship is probably the most perverted relationship in this film.

Some of my favourite scenes involve Divine and Taffy as they play their mother and daughter roles in their hideous home life. Dawn's continual frustration with her role as mother is simply hilarious. She never sees her frustrations as her own inadequacies, and she interprets Taffy's behavious as deliberately maddening. Taffy's "unreasonable" demands include asking why she can't go to school or why she can't eat dinner. And Dawn doesn't hestitate when it comes to discipling little Taffy--there's even a bed with chains ready for Taffy's next violation. The very best domestic scene occurs during Divine's dinner party hosted for the snobby and decadent Dashers. Dawn is at her most outrageous and antisocial while trying to charm, cook and serve a meal--all at the same time.

Director John Waters says that this is his favourite early Divine film, and I do prefer "Female Trouble" to "Pink Flamingos"--even though the latter is the more infamous of the two. Francine Fishpaw in "Polyester" will always be my favourite Divine character, but the psychotic Dawn Davenport is a close second. Divine (whose real name was Glenn Milstead) sings the title song of the film and also performed all of his own stunts--this includes the trampoline jumping and swimming through rapids. Divine also suffered through 2 hour make-up sessions (courtesy of Van Smith) prior to filming every day, and for the acid-scars, Divine tolerated liquid rubber. Divine's costumes are simply priceless, and there is even one scene with Dawn working as a go-go dancer. This early comedy from John Waters is not for everyone--it's tasteless, offensive, and downright abnormal. "Female Trouble" is simply Cultural Nihilism at its best. Keep an eye open for the scene in which Divine prances through the streets of Baltimore to the accompaniment of "Dig-dig-dig-a-rooni" much to the amazement of the stunned citizens of Baltimore. You just don't see Divine tripping along in a shiny mini-dress every day--more's the pity--displacedhuman--Amazon Reviewer.

Every line is delivered like a hollywood classic.
Every line is delivered like a hollywood classic. From the outlandish outfits to the long diatribe delivery style of John Waters writing this film is a piece of "high" Hollywood art (although is Baltimore filmed) Divine has never looked as delicious in any of the other films, nor has crime been glamourized to the extent that I killed my neighbors cat and filled a trashcan with alka seltzer and dropped my infant in and waited and waited...until...BINGO KABOOM! Baby needs to pee. Okay, so it is sick and perverse too, but we all know TV and movies have no effect on the weakest of minds. ... Read more

Description

From Director Dirk Schafer, whose "Man of the Year" pulled women's magazine centerfolds out of the closet, comes this sultry hyper-kinetic drama set in the sex-and-pecs, musicand steroid world of the circuit party scene-where drugs flow and inhibitions fall on the sweaty dance floor. Johnis a closeted small-town cop who moves to L.A., where he is quickly seduced into a new lifestyle. As John falls deeper and deeper into a spiral of drugs and carousing, his one chance for redemption lies in the arms of his newboyfriend. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

So True -- From a Circuit Boy
The reviews for the movie, state that its terrible and projects the wrong image for the gay community. The truth is the circuit community is a LARGE part of the gay community, at least the gay male community. The images shown in Circuit as by and large truthful and unvarnished. Thousands upon Thousands of gay boys flock the parties all over the country. And while Circuit may show an extreme version of the events, they are nevertheless valid and accurate. I have literally seen people drop dead next to me from overdose of GHB and the other boys look and then keep dancing. The extensive 'partying' that surrounds those events is sad but its a fact that can not be overlooked not matter how much we might wish it to be otherwise.

This film should be taken for what it is a non-judgmental honest portrait of the circuit party lifestyle. Its not for everyone but its factual and true to life. Its part of our culture and we should not be afraid or ashamed of it.

Eye opening look at circuit life
CIRCUIT is an interesting movie that paints a picture about many facets of certain gay lifestyles. I say that because it is not a representation of EVERY gay life. This movie focuses on the 'circuit boys' and the people in their lives. The movie centers around many circuit parties, but it's more than just parties. The movie is rich with exploration into each character.

The movie starts with a man who is a cop in a midwestern town where he grew up in, who leaves his cop life behind and moves to West Hollywood and opens up his repressed past and accepts it. He experiences the circuit life, and everything involved. The drug use, the heavy interest in physical appearance and beauty. He falls from grace and deals with the consequences of his drug use and overall lifestyle change.

However he is not the only character we get to know. There's a lot of different characters you get to know through this movie, and you truly get a sense of who they are and why they do what they are doing. The movie deals with a lot of ideas about the fear of getting older and not being the hot young thing anymore. I thought it was brilliant, the filmmaker making a movie within a movie really worked well and emphasized the point of the movie all that much more.

An entertaining movie that will open your eyes. Thankfully, it is not representative of the whole gay population, just a fragment of it.

Five Star Rating is for photography and verisimilitude
Maybe this movie isn't a true portrayal of the scene all over the place, but it documents well, a real part of gay life that came about in the 70's and lasted until who knows when.

It isn't like the flames and heat of the 70's and 80's, because there was a more primal sense of discovery, and the "forbidden fruit" aspect of life then was a perk to us Circuit boys that isn't as available now. We weren't following a pattern, but making one.

I think this movie will become a piece that stays in the Gay Canon and one which will be as lasting as VALLEY OF THE DOLLS was/is.

I particularly liked the empty, lovely, and bad hustler. He was so totally close to the hustlers of the French Quarter I knew years ago. Only, he had more energy, and was cleaner, and more sophistocated--but, just an innerly empty. That emptiness is a reality that he really portrays.

Like flashing photography? Like dancing kissing gay men? You like to know what a White Party or Red Party is about?

It is a hard world for a true muscled, lovely, slightly aging hunk, and this will make you laugh and cry.

The tragedy portrayed, was valid. I think the sad side is we all know a bunch of guys who died along the way.

Older gay men will like this, especially couples who lived the days of wild abandon.

Kids, Don't Let This Happen To You
CIRCUIT is essentially an ABC Afterschool Special for gay men which seems to say that if you party with all the dopey pretty boys, you'll end up wasted, too. Former Playgirl hunk Derik Shafer directs this piece of disco drivel featuring shoddy lighting, not-too-good sound and wooden performances by the actors. Recommended only if you like seeing loads of hunky flesh.

Valley of the Dopes
This film does exactly what it intends to do for the like-minded viewer, pisses off those that disagree, and updates Valley of the Dolls for those of us that love the obvious morality tales about self-destruction, beauty, and life in the fast line. That being said - Valley of the Dolls is still popular for a reason. This is a little more heavy-handed, longer and poorly made. Pluses are that it is more fleshy, better music (well almost - no Dionne W.), and boys, boys. boys. Worth a spin to decide which camp you're in. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Stranger in Paradise
Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer's "The Fluffer" is an earnest, honest and humane attempt at exposing the Gay Porno scene through the eyes of a young gay man Sean (Michael Cunio), new to Hollywood who falls in love with a gay porno star after he rents a movie he thinks is "Citizen Kane" that turns out to be a gay porno starring Johnny Rebel (Scott Gurney).
(When the obviously oblivious Sean brings what he thinks is CK to the check out counter, the clerk winks and says: "Doing the Classics tonight, huh?) Sean proceeds to apply and get a job at Janus Films, maker of all of Johnny Rebel's films,as a cameraman and thus sets the film and his infatuation in full motion.
Westmoreland/Glatzer have the sense to steal from some of the best movies: isn't Sean really a palliative for the Phillip Seymour Hoffman character in "Boogie Nights," who is as over-the-top and overwrought in love with Dirk Diggler as Sean is laid back and introspective about his feelings for Johnny Rebel? And it's much harder for Sean to stay cool about Johnny in that, not only is he a cameraman he's also Johnny's designated "Fluffer."
There are some heavy-handed, though earnest attempts to delve into the psyches of Sean as well as Johnny but most of this falls flat as it merely upsets the equilibrium of the film: is this a psychological study or a light comedy? It is possible to be both, but the transitions need to be handled with more aplomb than they are here to be be meaningful and effective.
The final scenes of the film are a hoot though, with blatant references to Tennessee Williams' "Sweet Bird of Youth" with Sean standing in for Paul Newman and Johnny for Geraldine Page as Sean consoles Johnny in a cheap motel in Mexico. That scene also cannily references Michelangelo's Pieta!
They probably bite off more than they can chew in "The Fluffer," but Westmoreland/Glacker show a real sense of style, grace and directorial know-how; especially difficult with the obvious constaints of a small budget. Look for these two to do great things in the future.

Not Oscar material, but more than just fluff
I made a point of NOT reading any reviews on Amazon or any print reviews .... I wanted to be able to form my own opinions of the film AFTER seeing it for myself. Having had some time to process and think about it, it was not a bad film.

The characters are quite believable and I felt sympathy for some of them but not for others, particularly for Johnny Rebel Porn Star, played by Scott Gurney. Gurney's performance is quite good. Nevertheless, it's very difficult to feel anything good for either his character or his actions in the story.

The Fluffer is a rather dark love story, but I enjoyed it for its honesty and reality. It's not romanticized in any way--quite refreshing for a gay film. It seems that many GLBT films struggle to make you like them but forcing emotions or plotlines. Not the case here.

For that reason I gave it 4 stars overall. The acting rates 4 stars easily. The screenwriting a 3 and the dialogue a 2. However, the film's unflinching look at life and consequences makes it a strong and thought-provoking look at the lives of some gay (and straight) people's lives.

Recommended.

*YAWN*
My reaction to this movie:

Oh! Hot guy on the cover! Whats this movie about? Hmmm. Interesting. Lets watch it. Okay. Interesting. Stalker-esque type guy trying to hook up with a "Straight" gay porn actor. Hmmm. Hot porn star guy has drug addiction... yada yada ya... nothing new. Okay... pick up pace. Mmmm hmmm... The porn industry is sordid... moving on... angry pregnant girlfriend... Mexico... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Seriously. This movie sucked and not in the good way. I know its not supposed to be porn but the story and actors were so boring they could have at least made it little more steamy.

Two stars for the DVD cover.
If a film has enough heart, character development, and storyline, it can overcome whatever it may lack in production values, budget, and talent. This is not the case with "The Fluffer". This film has none of these. Here are a group of people Mother Theresa wouldn't care about on her best day. The story itself is nonexistant. Here it is.... everyone in the "adult" film industry is screwed up. The end! Roll credits! If Scott Gurney wasn't beautiful, and his face and torso was not on the DVD cover this bad film would go away and no one would even notice.

Come on - this is just "Fluff"
The Fluffer is a film that is titillating in its title only. For those unfamiliar with what the term means - to put it politely, it is the name of a job in the adult film business. That person is responsible for helping the male actors (gay or straight) get it up and at 'em. Once the whole idea of the titillation is gone (about 10 minutes in), the movie is just sadly mundane.

If you want to watch it for hot guys, then okay, but admit that to yourself (frankly, I've seen better looking on most commercials and soap operas). The acting is very sub-par and the script is a long drawn out effort to stretch a thin storyline: this story could have been told in 15 or 20 minutes.

Basically, the plot is: Naive young Hollywood wanna be becomes a production assistant at a gay porn studio (can you see what's coming a mile away?). Eventually, he is asked to be the fluffer for the porn actor of his dreams (who just happens to be straight). One thing leads to another (you don't want me to give away what plot there is do you?) and we learn a little lesson about trust and naivity.

Jeez-a-loo - gay oriented films of the late 90's and early 00's have become what French films were to the 1970's. Everyone wants to seem to be really cutting edge, so they watch them and like them (even though they really know most of them are terrible). In reality, there are good gay films and there are bad ones, just as there were good French films and bad ones too.

This is a bad gay film. So scold it like your dog: "Bad gay film! Bad! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Inside History's Closet
Originally produced for PBS television, the Emmy-winning "Before Stonewall" is a must-see documentary for anyone researching Gay American history. What makes this film so invaluable is its success in recreating - through photographs, film clips, and later-day interviews - a period in time that was carefully and deliberately NOT recorded as it was happening due to the pervasive institution of "the closet", and the very real dangers that faced those brave enough to crack open the door and step out into the light. As one courageous lesbian pioneer remembers, just being accused of being a gay woman was grounds for involuntary commitment to a mental institution during her youth. Small wonder, then, that there is such a paucity of material documenting the gay movement pre-Stonewall, especially during the years from 1900-1950, before the earliest Gay and Lesbian social and political institutions in the United States were founded.

The cornerstone of this remarkable film is the handful of interviews conducted with some elderly activists from the years before the Stonewall riots began on June 27, 1969. With humor, dignity, and matter-of-fact courage, these men and women tell personal stories about their experiences in the armed forces, in the halls of government, in society, and in their home lives during the years in which America at large experienced the roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, the Second World War, the beginning of the Baby Boom era, and the radical Sixties. Their recollections are not only fascinating and brilliantly told; they are of critical importance in understanding the true heritage and history of today's American gay community. The DVD edition offers some fascinating extra material, including some expanded interviews, and footage of poet Allen Ginsberg reading two of his early compositions. Very highly recommended in terms of both quality and content.

Goodwill can only do so much.
'Before Stonewall' was not just a celebratory film documenting the underground gay resistance to [...] America before the historic moment of Stonewall in 1969. As the frightening utterances of then-President Reagan reveal, this was very much an urgent political gesture, a protest against 80s conservative retrenchment.

This is an illuminating and endearing documentary, full of wonderful anecdotes (e.g. Eisenhower's failure to sack the lesbian element of the WAC because it was all lesbian!), a moving reunion of elderly patrons of a notorious gay bar, and an inspiringly un-bitter outlook. The talking-heads-with-stills formalt becomes monotonous, and self-congratulation sometimes creeps in. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Extraordinary, complex, deeply-felt
In Sebastiane (1976), British writer/directors Derek Jarman (this was his first feature) and Paul Humfress created a remarkable historical film and a landmark of gay cinema. It depicts the martyred fourth century Roman soldier, who was later both canonized as Saint Sebastian and revered as an enduring gay icon. The film strikingly balances a cinéma vérité depiction of the everyday life of common soldiers and a visionary exploration of one man's defiant growth in faith, even as it subtly questions the nature of that experience. Despite its microscopic budget, it is a remarkably well designed, shot, edited, scored (Brian Eno's first film music), and acted picture. The Kino DVD transfer is very good, especially considering that the picture was originally shot in 16mm, then blown up to 35mm.

The film takes some liberties with the historical/legendary Sebastian, who was never exiled to a remote outpost, and incredibly who was supposed not to have died from the arrows with which he was famously shot - how Emperor Diocletian ordered him killed, and how the film ends - but rather from a second execution when he was clubbed to death. Although the film works brilliantly on many levels - cinematic, psychological, spiritual, aesthetic, even political - what may strike you first is the vividness and authenticity of the ancient world it depicts. Despite an over-the-top prologue at the glitteringly decadent court of Diocletian, and its strategic use of famous Renaissance paintings of St. Sebastian (by Mantegna, Reni, etc.) in the final scene, this film feels like lived experience.

Shot on location in Sardinia, every well-worn costume and dusty prop seems genuine. The dialogue is in the rough "street Latin" of its day (with English subtitles), but rather than feeling gimmicky it helps capture the texture of these nine banished soldiers' daily life. Its realism is in striking contrast to big-budget "sword and sandal" epics, from the Silent Era to the recent Gladiator, which always look too manufactured. In fact, its stylistic roots are more in the hyper-real mythic films of Pasolini, like Oedipus Rex and Medea.

From stills, you might think that the cast was chosen for their sculpted bodies. But each of these actors, even those in supporting roles, fully inhabits their characters and brings them to life. In particular, Leonardo Treviglio (seen most recently in Julie Taymor's film Titus) gives an intensely restrained, brilliantly nuanced performance in the title role. The constant ribbing and roughhousing among these nine men provides not only verisimilitude, but energy and unpretentiousness.

That is especially important, because the film deals with some dauntingly complex themes, as important now as 1,700 years ago, including the meaning of spirituality, the place of sexuality in life, and the contradictory nature of reality. The film's wild streak of humor, and its breathtaking visual design, help to keep this profoundly serious work from overdosing on "heaviosity."

The thematic core, as expected in a work about a man on the road to sainthood, is spirituality; and few films, including self-styled "religious movies," let one feel so deeply the growing importance of faith to an individual. Even some of the translated dialogue is beautiful, as when Sebastian, gazing at his and the sky's reflection in a pool of water, says that divinity is "That beauty that made all colors different.... The heavens and earth are united in gold." But while that vision of faith is powerful, it also has many layers, some of which are provocatively ambiguous. For some viewers, a central question will be: Is Sebastian a true Christian or is he a syncretist grafting his personal version of the new religion onto much older, Greco-Roman roots? The film offers different possible answers, not as a dodge, but because the film realizes how multi-faceted religious experience is, growing out of social, personal, and spiritual contexts.

It is also a landmark in the history of gay-themed films. Not only is this an authentic-seeming depiction of the ancient world, it is one in which a person's sexual orientation is not at all an issue. The guys jibe each other equally about their interest in Vestal Virgins, famous female prostitutes, and other men. In addition to this still-refreshing "backgrounding" of sexual orientation, the film depicts some of the most genuinely sweet and loving moments of any gay-themed film up to that time, especially in the budding relationship of the minor characters Adrian (whom the men tease about being a virgin) and Anthony.

And Sebastian's sadistically lovelorn nemesis, Captain Severus, is much more than a traditional "homosexual heavy," like the diabolical Claggart in Billy Budd. Severus (played by Barney James) has psychological depth, and seems to be equally divided between raw lust and genuine love for Sebastian. The film also takes a complex approach to him. For instance, the most visually beautiful and tender images of men are entirely from Severus's POV. And during the pivotal seduction scene near the end, Severus is shown as both monstrously brutal and beautiful, his hair ringed with golden light. That is exactly how Sebastian describes his vision of God, earlier in the film.

This is an exceptional film, deeply-felt, beautiful, and complex.

An early Jarman film
With this DVD, KINO presents Derek Jarman's debut feature loosely based on the story of Sebastiane, son of a wealthy Roman family during the days of emperor Diocletian. However, those expecting a historical story of Christian faith should better look elsewhere. Recommented for Jarman completists (an early indication of the filmmaker's later work) but virtually no one else with serious interest in film.

Sebastiane converted to Christianity early on and even as commander of the Praetorian Guard and a personal favorite of the emperor, he did not hide his beliefs, actively renouncing persecutions of Christians, helping prisoners and proselytizing Romans to Christianity. This led Diocletian to order his execution. Roman soldiers shot him with arrows but he survived. A second execution was arranged and he was clubbed to death(288 AD).

However, viewing this film with the expectation of seeing a historical epic or a story of martyrdom, will inevitably lead to desappointment. Historical facts are only a backdrop, serving the filmmakers' intention of presenting the other well known aspect of Sebastiane's claim to fame: his link to homoeroticism and sadomasochism. How this relation came about historically is unclear. Some stories have it that Sebastiane was homosexual himself. Others that he had to refuse the emperor's advances on the grounds of his Christian faith. Whatever the case, it is most likely his repeated depiction in painting ( Procaccini, Pollaiulo, Botticelli, Reni, Bazzi etc) scantily clad and pierced with arows reinforced the associations. In Jarman's film, the Christinity angle seems more of an afterthought, an excuse to add some pretentious sounding monologues that set Sebastiane apart from those around him. The film's opening scene introduces the depravity and decadence of Roman life. In a scene that clearly points the artistic tendencies Jarman's carreer would later follow in an over the top fashion that is not at all concerned with subtlety. The major themes of the film are introduced: Roman life, the persecution of Christians, algolagnic extremities and Sebastiane's homosexuality and opposition to torture and violence. The film has him stripped of rank and exiled to a remote outpost. From then on, Sebastiane does everything in his power to accentuate his differences from his fellow soldiers (basically they are portrayed as a bunch of sadistic, degraded halfwits so to differ must have been easy for an educated, wealthy Roman with spiritual longing). The film consists of a series of algolagnic torture scenes mixed with a good measure of frustrated "boredom" scenes, which unfortunately mirrors the most likely state of its viewers. There is nothing of narrative cinsequence to speak of (save the first scene, the long middle and the ending). Plot is certainly secondary to the films thematic explorations. The performances are uniformly poor and the Latin "dialogue" sounds way too ridiculous in the actors' accents for a film that takes itself seriously, adding to the impression the film leaves as a low budget feature. Moreover, the characters are utterly unconvincing as Roman soldiers. They instead seem as convenient marrionettes in the films attempt to introduce its and convey its preoccupations.

The scenery is certainly one of the strong points of the film. But whereas the barren landscapes emphasize the complete isolation and give context to the soldiers' ennui, the film seems at times more like an excuse for copious amounts of male nudity. There are plenty of ways to enrich a story of utter boredom and debasement but the film sticks to one and drives in the point over and over again, in a sadly repetitive, narcissistic way that reminds more of cheap excuses for sexuality in softcore S&M porn than a story of profound spirituality and psychological torment (I am guessing the spirituality and sexuality/lust are supposed to be conflicted or even paralleled but repetitiveness spoils this).

Overall, the film fails to convey any sort of spiritual longing, significance and verismilitude. Best approaced as an experimental, low budget study of homoerotic sexuality than as a film with narrative and characters.

The DVD has no extras, the image is grainy(perhaps shooting on 16mm and later expanding to 35mm doesnt help) but passable. Rent if you have to see...

Expression is only the vehicle for content ...
I felt deeply disappointed by the film, which is empty, irrelevant and self-indulgent.
A lot of scenes in the movie were well arranged, sometimes sensual, defiant or narcissistic. However those images are static, hardly fluid and unsuitable for the media of motion picture. The sentiment, so, maybe too, beautifully portrayed in one split second, died quickly into the next, because of director's incapability to let those images or characters evolve and grow. Above all there is no coherent message or even an idea in the movie, except the director's own erratic obsession of beauty, moments or desire. His self-centeredness is hardly engaging to me.
I can accept paintings to stress forms while defying meaning. But motion picture has one more dimension than paintings. Such waste of its expressiveness is a crime. After all, ideas are the most powerful and exciting, but not an idea of emptiness.

sebastiane
My copy of the Kino DVD is full screen and not letterboxed as advertised. Several seconds have been deleted from the perhaps too long slow motion sequence with frolicking bathers - but these seconds are important and Jarman captured a natural and realistic event knowing full well what he was doing . I acquired the DVD to replace my old VHS version and while it is superior in many ways, I will keep the video as the true version and the one I saw originally on the movie screen.

Format
Why the heck did they letterbox this? They cut off Sebastian's anatomy. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Not a classic, but good anyway
I think this is a good first coming-out story. Who cares if it's a bit 'after school special'. I still think it's a good take on the subject. I think it's great tool for parents and teens to adress the issue of coming out. Because as tollerant as the world seems, many families aren't open and accepting of the reality of thier child/sister/brother/cousin/nephew/neice/whatever being gay. No, it's not a classic film or a Classic in Lesbian entertainment. It's not even the best Lesbian love story ever, though it does do a fair treament to the emotional termoil of first love, first 'time', and first heartbreak. But it mixes all this within the struggle of a family and fairly treats the issue of coming out with the family. The first female relationship Jane has is little more than a subplot and I thought that made this film different in a good way. Usually it's the family that's reduced to a background plot while one rehashes the same ol plots seen in Hetero and Homosexual movies based on the 'romance' element.

Great coming out story, decent movie, gets my recomendation for anyone looking for films dealing with this subject.

A Must Buy Movie!
This movie is extraordinary wonderful. If you like dramas this is a perfect movie. Telling everyone i know to go out and BUY this movie. Its really worth it. A great story! Inspired by actual events! This movie discribes more then just one persons life. This type of event happens to hundreds of young teenagers who dont know how to confess there Sexuality to there parents. If you are having this problems. This movie may just help. Make them watch it. It may just help them understand what kinds of things your going though. It was a definant help for me! ...

Worth seeing.
Sometimes, just rare little times, it happens, that a movie really touches you. This definitly is one.
It dealt with 15 year teenage girl Jane, fell deeply in love for the first time. With another girl, taylor, the new girl in her class, she also had sex with for the first time.
Giving her pretty hard times realizing the fact, that she's gay. As well as her parents, "friends", teachers... And, that's nothing about it.
Although these stories are as different and unique, as humans theirselves, many things, that Jane has to struggle thru, came familiar to me and I wished, more people would really consider about.
It's not a teaching movie. Trust me. It has great beauty, dramatic and very intense moments. And funny ones too. My favorite: After her coming out Janes father took her for soccer game, she was never interested in her whole life, to show understanding and get to know his "new" lesbian daughter better. After she is refusing, he said: "I suppose even golf is out of discussion?!" ('Damn! Not A thing good about it!')
The characters are well played, especially Jane's, I like most. And the actress is very cute. Just the way she's holding her had, when she looks in love. And that voice! Melting.
So do what you want. But if you do not watch, you'll never know what you miss out.

zzzzzzz I slept through this one
This played like an after school special. It was contrived and predictable and the screenwriting was so awful I think who ever wrote this needs to take english 101 or talk to people and see how they really communicate. The subject could have been done so much better especially in light of the great acting talent in the film....unfortunetly material was lacking and the director must have been at lunch...perhaps worth seeing for the coming out aspects and to see Stockard Channing and the actress playing the school teacher...see it for that, but as a movie it only gets 1 star

After School Special
The subject of the movie is good, as is the message of tolerance but the delivery is painstakingly awful. The movie is trite and poorly acted. This just seems like a bad after school special which simply drags on for an hour and a half. Stockard Channing I enjoy highly in other films like "Six Degrees of Separation" but in this film she just seems to be making the best of the script which is a daunting task. There are better films that bring forth the same message and better capture the essence of the "out casting". I would recommend "Show Me Love" a Swedish film that does a far better job of telling a not too dissimilar story. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Australia has no shortage of he-man actors. Tops on anybody's list would be Russell Crowe and bluff, burly Jack Thompson, neither of whom looks completely at ease without a pint of lager in his hand. Thus it's a brilliant touch to cast them together in a gay comedy--Crowe as an uncloseted young man looking for love, Thompson as his open-minded straight father, who's so eager to help his son find Mr. Right, he's actually a bit of an annoyance. The 1995 movie betrays its stage origins, especially when the characters turn to the camera to deliver conversational asides. And the one-joke premise of Thompson's unflagging enthusiasm for his son's sex life becomes almost as tiresome for the viewer as it does for the son. But it's an innocuous enough little movie, and the two actors bring their gruff likability into every scene. In retrospect, Crowe's future stardom looks blindingly obvious. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Early Russell Crowe Gem
"Aussie" Film Stars Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe as father & son "best friends", looking for lasting love/companionship with a life partner. The aging "dad", who is a widower, habitually tries to play cupid for his gay 20-something son, seemingly spoiling all chances of "success", and eventually starts a search for his own second love.

This film is hilarious, filled with great gags throughout. The deeper message of tolerance towards gays and lesbians, as well as loyalty to a loved one in need (when the father suffers a stroke, the son refuses to abandon him, caring for him like a parent would care for a small child) is not deminished by the brilliant humor which surrounds it. "Sap-lovers" will get their fill as well!

Honored with many International Film Awards, "The Sum Of Us" adds up to a big winner! Highly recommended!*****

Warm father-son story
This movie is very hard to find in the United States, and I cannot understand why it has not been re-released. I would think that someone would want to cash in on Russell Crowe's post-Gladiator success by making this film available again. I mean, they re-released his atrocious "No Way Back", for crying out loud. But alas, it appears that no one has caught on to this little gem (or that a re-release is being deliberately suppressed--that's the conspiracy theorist in me coming out).

In any case, I was lucky enough to rent this video a couple of years ago, before it was stolen from my local video store and never replaced. What a delightful surprise it turned out to be. "Sum of Us" is, at it's heart, the story of a boy and his dad. Jeff (Crowe) is looking for love in Sydney's gay bar scene. He desperately wants someone with whom he can share his life, have a beer with, cuddle up to... "Is that too much to ask?" His father, Harry (Jack Thompson), doesn't think so. He desperately wants his son to be happy, and to find true love.

Much of the film is hilarious, due in large part to Harry's keen interest in his son's sex/love life, and his openness to discussing it in front of other people. Harry is too supportive, you see, to the point of embarrassing Jeff beyond all hope. The young man whom Jeff fancies is not accustomed to such candor. In fact, he is keeping his own homosexuality a secret from his judgemental father. In the meantime, Harry is looking for love himself, now that he's nearing retirement, which causes its own comedy and drama.

In "Sum of Us", Crowe and Thompson break the fourth wall, and speak directly to the audience. This actually works for this film--it does not distract the viewer or take them out of the story. In fact, I felt the same little thrill one does when hearing a good piece of gossip. These little asides to the audience also contribute greatly to the humor. But it's not all fun and games. Jeff is a very sensitive young man, who's been deeply hurt by lovers in the past. Jeff wears his heart on his sleeve, and all of his insecurity, excitement, disappointment, longing, and adoration play across Crowe's face in a heartbreaking, uninhibited performance.

Thompson plays off Crowe perfectly, and vice versa. Their relationship is completely believable--you would think that they really were father and son. Getting on each other's nerves, pushing each other's buttons, knowing each other's weaknesses. This is a relationship rarely seen on screen--a close, loving, warm relationship between a parent and child. Dysfunctional family relationships are more volatile, dynamic, and therefore more dramatic in the minds of most screenwriters--normal people are boring. Jeff and Harry are anything but boring, and they take the viewer right along with them. You'll find yourself caring deeply about both Harry and Jeff, hoping, hoping, hoping that everything will work out for each of them in the end. This is a very engaging story, due in large part to the performances of Crowe and Thompson, and the chemistry between the two.

Don't miss it. I just purchased a used copy from, and it was worth it. This is a movie that I'm sure I'll watch over and over again, the kind of movie you dust off once a year and discover something new about it each time.

Review of "The Sum of Us" by Cheri
"The Sum of Us" is a beautiful story about the unconditional love between a widowed father, Harry (Jack Thompson), and his openly gay son, Jeff (Russell Crowe). The movie shows a rare glimpse of a father's acceptance and willingness to try and understand his son's sexuality. When Jeff has a date, Harry is there to make sure his son practices safe sex, and when Harry has a stroke, Jeff is there to assume sole responsibility for his care, preparing his meals, helping him get around, and taking care of all his needs. They may drive each other crazy at times, but their unselfish acts of love for each other are heartwarming without being sickeningly sweet. I love this movie because it is honest, funny, wonderfully acted, hopeful, and real. Russell Crowe gives a brilliant performance early in his career. He is so believable you forget you are watching a movie. Jack Thompson is perfectly cast as his father. He is warm and funny. I recommend this movie to anyone that has ever loved or has ever been in love. It is a feel good movie. If you have trouble with the thick Australian accent, you can always use the subtitles.

A Dream Come True!
This movie touched every part of me. The relationship between Jeff (Russell Crowe)and his father Harry (Jack Thompson) is every gay man's dream...to be able to live with his parents in harmony and respect, without having to lead a second life, not to mention the fact that we have The Gladiator, Mr. Russell Crowe portraying a character that many other leading men now will turn down. Two thumbs up for Russell Crowe, all my respect to him!

I think I can picture myself in this movie, because my relationship with my mother is just like the one portrayed by these characters...Yes, believe it or not, my mother tries to set me up every now and then, unsuccessfully I must say, but nevertheless she tried! I Love You Mom!

Five stars is not enough, I love this movie!

One of the sweetest movies ever
I LOVE this movie and have watched it countless times. Its funny, sad, touching, hilarious, sweet, and in general a feel good movie. All kids should have the kind of relationship that Jeff (the character played by Russell Crowe) is lucky enough to have with his father. The world would be a far better place for it.

Jeff's father, Harry, is a widow, and is not only Jeff's dad, he's also his best friend. The film focuses on their relationship with each other and with their prospective partners. Jeff is gay, and rather than being the stereotypical "movie father" full of shock at his son's sexuality, Harry is very supportive of his sons lifestyle. As Harry explains in the movie, our kids are after all "the sum of us" .

Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe are a joy to watch as Harry and Jeff, father and son, and best mates, and this is a genuinely wonderful, touching movie which draws as many tears as it does laughs. One to look out for, and well worth a watch. Harry and Jeff will stay with you long after the end credits have finished running. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Set in the Little Italy neighborhood of Montreal, Mambo Italiano isa fresh and enjoyable take on gay relationships. After reconnecting withan estranged childhood friend, Angelo (Luke Kirby) discovers that he andNino (Peter Miller) have more in common than just their Italian heritageand suffocating families. After they move in together, Angelo finds thathe can't stand being in the closet any longer--but Nino, who's a cop andmuch more attached to passing as straight, resists. After Angelo tells hisparents (Ginette Reno and Paul Sorvino), their lives explode and Angelodiscovers that coming out may cost him everything he held dear. Theemphasis on ethnic humor threatens to turn Mambo Italiano intoMy Big Gay Italian Wedding, but the clever writing, sprightlyperformances, and inventive direction keep the movie consistentlyunpredictable and funny. Also featuring Claudia Ferri as Angelo's neuroticsister. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Description

At Kilometer 0 - the very center of Madrid - relationships begin, love blossoms, and lives intersect as 14 people looking for sex, romance or anything in-between, cometogether in a passionately exuberant sex farce. The storyfollows a series of chance meetings, missed connections, and mistaken identities that give way to unexpected sexual escapades and romantic couplings. KM0 is a fast-paced, inventive and stylish comedy. National Theatrical Release! Stars Concha Velasco, George Corraface, Silke, Merce Pons ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Missed Potential!
Km.0 started off started off very well. Fourteen people all agree to meet at Km.0, the center of Madrid, for various reasons. Unfortunately, a series of mix-ups ensue and their lives intersect in one way or another. It seemed like a promising and original romantic comedy, and for the most part, it was. Unfortunately, in the end, it took a downhill detour and headed for the worst. My friends and I were thouroughly enjoying this movie, a fun, light, and fluffy comedy that was funny and charming. However, with only 20 minutes left, it seemed the writer was just trying to finish off the film without any thought or originality put into it like the rest of the picture. The very rushed, very cheesy, and horribly coincidental ending destroyed what I would have otherwise considered one of the best films of the year. Being a screenwriter myself, I understood what was trying to be done, I just didn't feel it worked for this particular picture and there were plenty of missed opportunitites for the ending. Nonetheless, the film was still very enjoyable, but the ending disappointed us all, and made us laugh because of how bad it was. It's worth a rent though for lovers of foreign or independent cinema.

One hot day ¿ fourteen people ¿ countless possibilities!
Kilometer Zero (Km.0) is a wonderful Spanish import about how missed connections and fate can alter your life path. Fourteen people are drawn to the title spot at the center of Madrid for various assignations on one of the hottest day of the year. A young film director arrives in town, looking to share an apartment with an actress friend of his sister. The actress, intent on kickstarting her career, spots a famous producer and hatches a plan to get his attention. A down-on-her-luck hooker arranges to meet an inexperienced groom-to-be to conduct some business. A dancer uses the internet to connect with a sex partner. A middle-aged businessman's neglected wife fills her hours of boredom by hiring a gigolo. The gigolo's roommate, a gay man, longs for a lover rather than just another sexual partner. In the heat, patience evaporates and fate intervenes, leading to numerous missed connections and mistaken identities. Several locals become drawn into the mix as well, including a local bartender who dreams of owning his own business; the bartender's shallow, robbery-prone fiancée and her younger sister; a police officer with impulse control issues; and a mysterious stranger who seems rather bemused by the whole scenario.

The film is extremely European in tone, and very unlike similar-themed American and British comedies. Sexuality is celebrated in all forms, including physical relations between older women and younger men, friendly intimacy and flirting between straight men and gay men, and the goal of helping a prostitute to earn what she's worth, rather than rescuing her from the profession. Sex scenes are fun and erotic without becoming overly graphic, human frailties are addressed without judgment, and taboo topics of concern are touched upon as plot points before being clarified as misunderstandings. The cast is uniformly attractive and up to the challenge, the script does an excellent job of interweaving the various characters and storylines, and the direction and production values are first rate. If you enjoy films that are politically incorrect, brazen, and very, very sexy, you'll have a great time meeting up with the crowd at Kilometer Zero.

Irregular
Contrary to some reviews I think the movie doesn't try to be realistic at all. If that were true I'd say it fails miserably (this script has some 'major coincidence' scenes like you wouldn't believe). I think instead it goes for a 'magic realism' tone, and mostly succeeds. What bugged me after watching the film is how marvelous people all the characters were. I mean, they're all of the 'heart of gold' kind. They just worry a bit about some trouble they have and bingo, the next person they meet has the solution. It's a bit too much. But enjoyable anyway.
The dvd has an acceptable anamorphic widescreen transfer and the subtitles are optional.

A TEN STAR MOVIE
This movie is a gem of a movie. I have not loved a "new" film as much as this in a very long time! You will fall in love with all of characters and this is mainly due to the skill of the actors that portray them. See this film with someone you love. You won't regret it!!!!!! Why can't Hollywood make a film like this?

A Sparkling Spanish Comedy of Errors!
It seems we are in a time for the release of many fine Spanish films and the release of the DVD KILOMETER.0 is one of the best. Directed by Yolanda Garcia Serrano and Juan Luis Ibarra (yes, two directors and perhaps that is why the story is so equally cognizant of the female/male interpretation of relationships), this beautifully paced, hilarious, touching, tender comedy has it all. 'Km.0' is the very center of Madrid and serves as a coincidental meeting point for each of the 14 characters in the story. Mistaken identities, curious consequences, chance fortunes and misfortunes, surprise discoveries all collide and the result is a fun and entertaining farce that keeps your attention through the film. Each of the characters (a prostitute, a novice film director, gay men out for internet encounters, hustlers, middle aged needy women, sisters at opposite ends of the values spectrum, a sexually uptight fiancee, a needy bartender, a frustrated actress/singer, a guardian angel, etc) is well fleshed out and everyone of these disparate characters finds the entry to our heart at the end of a day. The cast is uniformly excellent: each one finds the center of the character so that we know the characters as well as we know our best friends. The musical score is a delight, the views of Madrid and the funky interiors of the various rendezvous all are imaginatively colorful, and the sensitivity of the two directors is secure and mature. This is a little marvel of a film is well worth buying for your permanent collection. In Spanish with English subtitles. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Rupert Everett narrates this sensitive documentary about the Nazi persecution of homosexuals during World War II. "Paragraph 175" refers to the old German penal code concerning homosexuality, which was used to justify the prosecution of gay men during the war (the code ignored lesbians, still considered viable baby-making vessels). As mere rumor became enough to justify imprisonment, over 100,000 were arrested and between 10,000 and 15,000 were sent to concentration camps. In Paragraph 175, Klaus Müller, a historian from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, sets out to interview the fewer than 10 who are known to remain alive. The film covers the astonishingly quick rise of Hitler (one interviewee points out how ridiculous a figure he seemed at first) and the shock that more liberal Germans felt as it became clear that he was a force to be reckoned with. Some of the film's most touching moments come when the participants reminisce about their first loves and the "homosexual Eden" that was Berlin in the 1930s. This is a beautifully well made documentary that poignantly captures a piece of nearly forgotten history. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Less a Documentary than a Reminiscence
PARAGRAPH 175 is a beautifully photographed, historicaly accurate, sensitively enlightening film about the Nazi persecution and slaughter of the Pink Triangle, as male homosexuals were designated in Hitler's concentration camps. But for once a documenting film does not focus on grotesque pictures of bodies, wretched camp conditions or images of abuse and torture. The film's makers instead opt for the more sensitive approach of interviewing the few remaining men (and one woman)who survived the period. From these elderly gentlemen we hear memories of how fun Berlin was from 1914 to 1918, the between war period when life was raucous and liberated. We then learn through their words and through film clips of the growing influence of Hitler and his own gay SA General, the response of a people wilted from WWI needing hope for a future and not realizing the depravity of the promises of the Nazi party, the ugly truth. It is this insidious perpetration of evil that becomes most pungent in the faces and words of the survivors. This is a beautifully realized documentary and one that will open eyes to a fact that most people remain unaware of even today.

Voices from Our Past
From Common Threads to The Times of Harvey Milk, Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman have documented the lives of gay men and lesbians throughout the 20th century. Adding Paragraph 175 into this collection is a crown lewel of their masterful work.

Documenting the experiences of homosexuals during the infamous Nazi regime in Germany, the filmmakers interviewed the few remaining people who suffered under the infamous paragraph. These men are a brave and stalwart group. As they tell their stories, the pain and horror they are forced to relive is evident. The filmmakers fortunately step out of the way and allow these men to speak. In fact, one of the best things about this documentary is that it is not a slick, clean production, with all of the extra things edited out. It's rough, to allow us to see their humanity. Some of these men had never spoken of their experiences publicly.

The DVD offers an insightful if sparse producers'/director's commentary, along with additional interviews not included in the film. The music is gripping, especially the inclusion of Marlene Dietrich's version of "Falling in Love Again".

So much has been done in the last years to document and remember the experiences during WWII. This film adds an important voice to that chorus, allowing all of those who suffered under the tyranny of one man's dementia, their prominent stanza.

i wanted more...
The truth about homosexual persecution in Nazi Germany told by 6 survivors, using real footage from the times and documentary/interview style storytelling.
I find it interesting how they only targeted gay men. Nazis declared lesbianism a "temporary and curable problem."
Anyway, an interesting little documentary... not enough substance to it though in my opinion- although that might be because none of the men wanted to talk about their experiences. I imagine they get tired of all the interviews and having to relive those things...

"Do you want butter or guns?"
And the people cried "Guns!"
And at that my Father became afraid."

Painful, defiant, angry, joyous
This is a magnificent piece of documentary filmmaking, not only from the perspective of the production values, but especially of the reportage. It is made clear throughout the documentary how extraordinarily difficult it was to get the extremely elderly men who were the survivors of the Holocaust to think back to what must have been a horrifying period in their lives. The producers managed to get through, however, sometimes with the help of friends, sometimes on their own, and the effect is a devastating one. I cannot agree with the reviewer from Louisiana who carped about "too many Nazi movies". First of all, the Holocaust is a horror which must never be forgotten, and there is no point at which there will be too much information about a "civilized" Western European country which slaughtered millions upon millions upon millions of people at a time which is still in the living memory of countless Europeans, Americans and other citizens of the world. Second, I would have a hard time in coming up with any short list, let alone long list of written, audio or video material which treats the specific subject of the extermination of gay people in Hitler's camps. Gay men were one of the secondary groups of slaughter, of course, in comparison to the breathtaking horror that was visited upon the Jews, but they were a major group nevertheless, and if the critic in Louisiana thinks that this is a story that does not need telling, then I'm sorry, but he's wrong. It does need telling, and the point to this documentary is that not many more years will pass before all of those who survived the terror are gone, gone, gone. The fact that the Holocaust is a throbbing and living thing even in the lives of people in the late 20th and early 21st century was neatly encapsulated in "Paragraph 175" when, if I understood it correctly, a French interviewee said that the interview was the first time that he had ever spoken to a German since World War II. "Paragraph 175" brought tears to my eyes again and again, because I had to ask, again and again, "why, why in God's name, why?" Whether Nazi atrocities have been treated in the media to a greater, lesser, more significant or any other extent than the atrocities of Stalin's Gulag (and as a Latvian, I am perfectly aware of what Stalin did, thank you) is entirely not the point. No human terror can be measured up against any other. This was terror. This was pain. But the survivors also represent a point of joy. They did survive. They had something to say. "Paragraph 175" allowed them to say it. I think that we are better for the story having been told.

Infomative, but slow paced for no reason
Paragraph 175 delves into a little discussed aspect of World War II. While Jewish people were the primary target of Nazi Germany, homosexuals were also discriminated against in the worst way. However, while this documentary is informative, it seems like it is a one hour film stretched into 90 minutes.

The most annoying aspect of the film is its moments of long pauses in narration. Since it primarily concerns itself with interviews of homosexuals who survived imprisonment in concentration camps, it's understandable that the survivors have long pauses. After all, they're elderly and the pain the memories bring can make it hard to speak. But the long pauses continue when Rupert Everet does his narration as well. And they're not dramatic pauses, but pauses to fit the length of video provided. The narration either needed more material, or the film needed to condense its video.

Also, as the film jumps back and forth between survivors, it never seems to have any real focus. One interviewee will be talking about one thing, and then it switches to another discussing some other topic. Though the film makes some good points and does serve to be enlightening, it's apparent that it could have done a better job in telling the stories. As it is, it seems like a rough cut of the documentary, not the final film.

Despite my criticisms, Paragraph 175 still has some interesting stories to tell and some moments of true poignancy and sorrow. It's just too bad it's not polished to shine some light onto these disturbing, harrowing tales. ... Read more

Description

Six different friends. Three kinds of love. In this cutting-edge drama from award-winning New Zealand filmmaker Garth Maxwell (Jack Be Nimble), washed up singer Katie ("Once Were Warriors'" Rena Owen) struggles to create a new life for herself while coping with yearning admirer Eddie and living with her best friend, Stephen, who's in love with sexually confused ex-hustler Mark. Meanwhile uninhibited band members Fig and Sally yearn for success--and each other! Funny, touching, and insightful, this honest and sometimes twisted tale exposes the complication brought about by love, friendship, and desire--not necessarily in that order. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Real life experience
I loved the movie. Although the movie has its flaw(which movie doesn't) I really identified with the movie. You know there comes a time in a relationship where both partners have strong feelings for each other but at the same time both of them have a problem in communicating that message to one another as a result the relationship tends to sag. That's the message of movie-If you love someone tell them exactly how you feel that way you become closer to one another. I also like the fact that despite the fact that the older guy had two chances to sleep with the younger guy(who was totally hot), he did not because it will be a lie. Stephen wanted to sleep Mark if and only if Mark was ready,meant it and of course loved him. It think that it is maturity on Stephen's part. It also showed that he really loved Mark and wasn't just trying to have sex him. I think in this day and age where the male testerone is raging like ferocious wind this should a message to gay community-Follow your heart and not your genital!

Great!
Life is more than just sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll in this gritty comic melodrama set in the New Zealand music industry. Drummer Fig (Nancy Brunning) and singer Sally (Sophia Hawthorne) are lovers and aspiring pop stars trying to jump-start their music careers. The girls seek help from a former pop diva named Katie Keane (Rena Owen), a one-time chart-topper who has returned home to recover from a downward spiral. They are also aided by their irresistibly cute but emotionally strung out songwriter, Mark (Dean O'Gorman), and Stephen (Simon Prast) Mark's frustrated boyfriend, who is Katie's best friend. When Love Comes features some catchy pop songs amid the turmoil of Mark and Steven's tempestuous relationship, but the film's greatest attraction is Owen's outstanding performance as the washed up Keane. This funky, life-affirming film proves that there is nothing like true romance and the love of some good friends to cure the blues during a chaotic summer.

Being Ready When Love Comes
Are we ever ready when love comes? When it comes, do we know it is love? These are some of the questions this movie answers. Using music with lyrics that touch your heart, the movie explores three relationships in different levels. Worth watching. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Also a big Takeshi fan, but...
...I wish I had as many positive things to say about the film. I really wanted to like it. I'd heard nothing but good things about director Oshima and his films, especially In the Realm of the Senses. I was also drawn to this as a Takeshi Kitano fan. In the end, however, I couldn't get past the poor acting of the Kano and Tashiro characters. Fortunately, the film has a few talented actors and comedians that make up for it. There are also a few entertaining moments like when Takeshi tries to encourage Kano to switch to the straight path. Also, the swordplay throughout the film is very well done. Recommended with some reservations.

Another master piece of Oshima trivializing death and sex
Gohatto is the law, or the code. In this magnificent piece from the master of cinema Oshima Nagisa, Gohatto means something like a marshal law. With or without knowledge of the Shinsengumi, the movie offers plenty to viewers who like plots based upon samurai stories. However, instead of the fighting scenes on the battle fields like most of the stereotypical samurai movies, this one is ever so contriving about the human within the samurai with their physical and spiritual projections towards life, death and sex. Kano was portrayed as an utterly handsome youth recruited as a new member of the militia, who was inevitably attracted by a number of other militia members. Whirled within all these conflicting feelings among the wooers, Kano appeared to be composed and cold, with a sole goal towards the "right to kill". Tashiro, the rumored only lover of Kano, was suspected of killing another samurai, Yuzawa, who courted Kano as well and assaulted sergeant Yamazaki. Commando Kondo ordered him to be executed by the hands of Kano with captain Hijikata and lieutenant Soji watching afar. The movie ends with a surreal setting of the wilderness, with drizzling rains and smoky air where Soji and Hijikata exchanged their premise about love among men. Kano was finally able to execute Tashiro and retreated, likely with Soji. With his narration, Hijikata objected the evil behind Kano's beauty which was not only to woo the men in the militia, but also to lead the wish to violate the samurai codes. Stymied a beautifully blossomed cheery tree in one swift swing of his sword, Hijikata's mind was made to crush the beauty so as to preserve the sacred code of samurai.