By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.25
Director: Daniel Sanchez Lopez
Starring: Alexandros Koutsoulis | Matthew James Morrison
Country: germany
Year: 2021
Running time: 75
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13316820/reference
Cheryl says: “Although it can easily been compared to both Andrew Haigh’s WEEKEND and Richard Linklater’s BEFORE series, for me this beautifully shot film felt more like an early Godard meditation on life, love, and sex. Harry, played by Matthew James Morrison, and Johannes, portrayed by Alexis Koutsoulis, alternate between embodying Jean-Paul Belmondo’s cynical Michel and Jean Seberg’s not so innocent but romantic Patricia. It’s not just the chemistry between the two actors or their brief flirtations with philosophy but the cinema-verite feel to the scenes and the editing that remind the viewer of BREATHLESS. It has the same charm and lightness, a slice of life that captures the fleeting nature of joy in vivid disco colors. Berlin comes to life on screen looking both starkly modern and intimately old world European. The use of music, silence, and ambient sounds of traffic and a plane flying overhead, effectively sets the tone and reminds the viewer that this is a moment to savor. In the last scene with the two in the apartment, Harry runs his thumb over Johannes’ lips in a direct nod to Michel’s trademark gesture, and that tells us everything. 4 cats
“Screened at the Provincetown International FilmFestival 2021”
Michael says: “For my first film at the Provincetown International Film Festival, I chose rather randomly, and ended up with a examination of two young men who spend… a night, a day, and a night together, talking about sex, love, maturity, relationships… then leave each other behind. Yes, it’s got a very similar set up to WEEKEND, as Cheryl pointed out, and kudos to her for finding the beauty and talent in this film, because until I read her review, I really just wrote it off and annoying, self-indulgent, claptrap. Okay, that’s a bit harsh, but man-oh-man, Matthew James Morrison’s Harry really bugged the crap out of me. I don’t blame the actor… but that character was written in a way to really bug me.
“Let me start from the beginning. Harry is a Brit visiting Berlin. He’s spent the last bunch of hours dancing and getting high at a club, when he bumps into Johannes, a cute, blonde German, on the dance floor. The two share some moments in the club, and wander out together, keeping their high going and spending the next day wandering the city together, debating relationships. Harry, a doctor in his homeland, is always looking for the next exciting experience. His job is hard and when he goes out, he just want to have some fun… a lot of fun, with different people all the time. He looks down on Johannes’ explanation of monogamy, and how important that the loving part of the relationship is. They both (Harry particularly) just come across as incredibly YOUNG to me, and Harry, also comes across as somewhat offensive, arrogant, insensitive… honestly, the big mystery to me is why Johannes spends any time at all with this blowhard.
“There are some lovely moments; the film is shot beautifully, using the city of Berlin beautifully. Like Mark, Mary & Some Other People, I struggled with this film, wondering if the focus on such young adults took it out of my realm of connection because of my age. (This feeling emerged a third time during the screening of Eytan Fox’s SUBLET, which I will get to soon — it creates a bit of a trilogy with these two films, and while it’s the best of the three, is still a little problematic.) As Harry and Johannes dig a little deeper we find a little more complexity and depth in both of them, but I was very let down by the expected finale of the film. I know it was fairly inevitable, but it would have been really interesting if things had turned out differently. After reading Cheryl’s review, I was struck by what she got out of the film, and was thinking it had softened my disdain for it, but as I write this review, I see that it hasn’t, and I still am only going to give it 1.5 cats
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival”
Beth C. says: “Directed by Daniel Sanchez Lopez, this film was very bad. I had to ask myself early on if the festival chose this film because there were some redeeming qualities that some festival-goers may enjoy. I watched through to the end and I don’t know what to say about the film, other than it is very bad. It is basically a day date between two attractive young men. Their internal struggles are deeply meaningful to each of them and they manage to convey this to each other over an hour and a half. 1 cat”
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival“