Viewing a unique gay relationship in Händl Klaus' strange, passionate love story, TOMCAT

If you want to know just how far and how fulfilling movies about gay characters have come and have become over the past half-century, take a look at the Teddy award-winning film, TOMCAT. I'd call this one a "must" for gay male audiences (and cat-lovers of almost any stripe: the many shots of the cats in this one rival KEDI and just about anything else you may have seen). As spectacularly intimate and encompassing as the movie is, however, there are some caveats I had better mention.

If you object to viewing male genitalia, be warned (there is ample on display here, in one scene even erect and bouncing). However, the manner in which writer/director Händl Klaus handles this full-frontal could not be more real nor more "ordinary." It brings us as close as film has gotten (even, I think, more so than the recent Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo) in terms of showing us the love and passion these two men feel and express in a way that seems so normal and ordinary. In this sense, it is indeed groundbreaking. There is also a moment of sudden, game-changing violence in the film that will prove very disturbing -- as it should be, and as it is for our two protagonists.

Also, as good as the movie is, it's a little too long. Its lack of incident during the latter half is not made up for by any increase in understanding of our two main characters. They don't seem to grow, nor do we comprehend them any more fully. This is too bad because the two lead actors -- Lukas Turtur (above, right) and Philipp Hochmair (above, left) -- are excellently cast. They are attractive but not gorgeous (and consequently more real), and they inhabit their characters about as fully and well as you could expect, given the limitations of Klaus' script.

So shocking, sudden and seemingly unexplainable is the incidence of violence that changes the film that, of course, we want some kind of explanation. Herr Klaus refuses to give it to us, and that is his right -- particularly if his point is that sometimes this sort of thing really is impossible to explain or understand.

Yet his barely giving a nod to psychiatry or the medical establishment runs the risk of making his movie seem less deep than facile. Sure, medical science can't explain everything, but, hey, why not give it a try? If this has happened here, we're not privy enough to it. No CAT scans or MRIs, and we don't even get to sit in on a therapy session.

Still, what exists is certainly potent: The event that breaches the relationship is a stunner, and then the long, difficult road back to forging some kind of healthy, enduring bond is believable enough. There's one scene on the soccer field that is also memorable. The work environment, too, is nicely handled: One of our guys plays in the local orchestra, the other appears to be perhaps the manager of that orchestra.

We meet some of the pair's good friends, mostly orchestra members, too. German society in general, as it so often appears to be in these movies, seems more inclusive, caring and accepting of the gay community than are those of many other countries, including our own. And oh, my god, are the two cats in this film absolute keepers!

From First Run Features and running just under two hours, Tomcat made its DVD debut yesterday, Tuesday, June 13 -- for purchase and/or rental.

Get a grip, doc! Argyris Papadimitropoulos' Greek island movie, SUNTAN, hits theaters

Obsession in movies reaches a new high (maybe low) in the very poorly titled SUNTAN, a new film from Greek moviemaker, Argyris Papadimitropoulos, shown below. For a film that starts out as well as does this one, it's surprising that, by its finale, it has thoroughly degenerated into stuff and nonsense. Part of the problem is that Mr. Papadimitropoulos withholds almost all information about his leading character, a middle-aged doctor named Kostis, until the man's behavior has grown so over-the-top that his late-coming explanation to the leading lady -- "Forgive me: I've been an emotional wreck for the past few years" -- seems more ridiculous than appropriate.

Not that the young lady in question is herself any great catch. Granted she's cute, hot as hell and doesn't mind a little quick, fun sex. But she and her group of friends seem so entitled and full of themselves -- youth really is wasted on the young -- that their behavior proves mostly a turn-off (even if their copious full-frontal nudity is quite a turn-on).

It is around the time that one too many scenes of our "hero" dancing and drinking in an all-night local club occurs that you may begin wondering if the movie is going a bit off the track. It is -- and it continues as such throughout.

If the movie seems a cobbled-together combo of The Blue Angel and The Brown Bunny, its performances, however, are very good -- especially those of Makis Papadimitriou (above, here billed as Efthymis Papadimitriou and last seen on these shores in the much better film, Chevalier) as the island's new doctor, and newcomer Ellie Tringou (below), as his favorite patient, Anna.

The remainder of the young people seem to have been cast for their lithe bodies, small but curvy breasts, and big bouncing cocks, while the older folk -- from the town's helpful mayor to its drunken sleazeball -- get to possess a bit more character (well, they've grown into it!).

By the time someone notes, about our not-so-hot doc, "What an ass!" you are not likely to offer up much disagreement. And then near the conclusion, as we hear, after the young woman goes missing, the continued calls of "Anna! Anna!" you may be put in mind of a so-much-better movie called L'Avventura.

TrustMovies would guess that the main reason for the theatrical release of Suntan is all its sexplay and nudity. These are indeed pleasant to view, but if you are looking for something actually serious -- the press release for the film notes that "Suntan celebrates the beauty and strength of the youthful body, while simultaneously embracing its inevitable decay" but this is mostly hoo-hah -- do look elsewhere.

From Strand Releasing and running a little-too-long 104 minutes, the movie opens this Friday, March 10, in New York City at the Village East Cinema and in Los Angeles on Friday, March 24 at Laemmle's Royal. To see all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters, click here and then click on Screenings in the task bar midway down.

On-Demand: Ilan Duran Cohen's THE JOY OF SINGING finally gets its U.S. chance

Making its New York debut last year as part of the FSLC's annual Rendez-vous with French Cinema (my review from 2009 is here), THE JOY OF SINGING -- that very odd combo of espionage, music, sex farce and philosophy (yes, it's French!) by Ilan Duran Cohen (shown below) can finally be seen again on our shores via IFC's On-Demand program. And maybe just in time to create a little buzz for this year's Rendez-vous series which begins mid-March. (TrustMovies will have much more on that subject next week.)

Even though it has taken this film a year to reach us (and without a theatrical release, at that) I'd still advise anyone with a taste for the outré and/or the pan-sexual, not to men-
tion an appreciation of music of all kinds, to take a look at this little treat.  Watching Cohen's movie a second time, I was struck with how important music is to everything here -- from the classical (that the music teacher insists her students learn) to the pop espoused by the character played by Jeanne Balibar (who sings, quite well, her songs).

The whole starry cast is made up of beautiful and talented actors, but it's Balibar (shown above in white) who shines brightest.  Her sleek physicality, warm voice and purring little smile are all so enticing, no wonder she wins over everyone from Julien Baumgartner (below, right, as a well-hung whore) to Caroline Ducey (as a voluptuous espionage agent).  Marina Fois (shown at bottom, right) and Lorànt Deutsch (bottom, left) make a charming pair of sparring intelligence agents, and Dominique Reymond and Natalie Richard (below, left) are aces as, respectively, the intelligence courier and Balibar's corrupt sister-in-law.

The Joy is Singing is certainly not for every taste. As with Cohen's earlier Confusion of Genders, the film is full of in-your-face sexuality of all sorts, with more full-frontal shots of M. Baumgartner than perhaps any other actor I can recall. Of course, I also don't recall any other actor (non-porno, at least) who is more deserving of these.  My second viewing of the movie, perhaps because I was prepared for the nudity, brought more of the film's sweet, giddy quality to the fore, as well as its music. From a charmingly home-
made Lakme duet to Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over, this mix is a winner.


The Joy of Singing is available now from IFC On-Demand. Check your local TV reception supplier or click here to learn how (and if) you can access IFC's ever-increasing number of worthwhile foreign and independent films.