The Quick & Nasty - Brilliant acting. Watch it for the incredible onscreen chemistry between the two main characters, Kay (Max Riemelt) and Marc (Hanno Koffler).
Review (spoilers ahead)
So there's this part of the movie where the two main characters are on the balcony again - and instead of the beautiful sun-kissed moments we had earlier (see my favourite part of the show below), it's overcast, one of them's been beaten up, and he turns to the other and says, 'you know how it is'.
And beyond their incredible onscreen chemistry (to rival even the likes of David and Fer from 'Fisica o Quimica') I think that statement was what tipped me over into a real appreciation of the film. I ended up at the end of the movie with this sense of familiar agony - haven't we watched this movie in a myriad of ways already? you know how it is. It's the the sexual awakening of a man coming to terms with this crushing attraction to another man while negotiating the preexisting relationships that crowd his life. So why then was I left mourning the end of the film, wishing that they'd thrown in one last glimpse of Max Riemelts incredible gaze as he dismantled Koffler's defences?
Perhaps somewhat surprising was that despite how much of Kay's story was left un-played out in front of the camera, that hidden narrative was just so penetratingly clear that at the end, when his character drops off the radar, you're left frustrated and just lost. And very much in the shoes of the protagonist, Marc. But the thing is, if you took this and ran with only Marc's storyline (which is the entire movie), you actually lose half of the show and ultimately, I think that'd be incredibly dissatisfying.
So what's Kay's story?
You start off with that naked desire - you're sharing that room at the Academy and he's peeling away into the morning light. You've had your eye on him this whole time - playing up this competitive thing that's got him focused on you. Then you're in the pool with him, and you're nursing a hard-on like a compass needle pulled to this single alignment. And he gets out. And you're still stuck in there thinking, what am I doing? - and blushing a little because from the navel down, you know he'd spot you for the monster you really are.
But you're sucked in - and then you make these clumsy (but heady) attempts to steal kisses on the trail, locked into that urgent and desperate desire to pleasure him again and again. You play this game with him where you challenge him with that single magic word: Pussy. Like the magic words those two french people use on each other in that film 'Love me if you dare'. You move to the same riot unit to be a part of his life because that is the only thing that makes sense. And all the while, you're playing this role where you're part of the riot police, you're straight in front of everyone, and you've now realised that the guy you've moved your whole world for has a pregnant girlfriend.
And so you take the crumbs, you accept and after a while, you question if you can possibly keep yourself contained in this space between the door and the balcony, just barely alive before he revives you. You live from those snippets; live for those messages that come beeping into your consciousness; and the furtive whispers over the phone. And the nights when he throws caution to the wind and laughs against the thumping of lights and shaking beats.
And then he's a father, and he disappears and you're going crazy. And you chase for him, just to see the back of his neck, his shadow, and you want him to see you - you swerve your car into his path, hoping for contact. It comes - you bleed. And you lose yourself. You stop. And you free fall. You're caught in a gay bar, he begs you to leave him alone, to keep his secret.
This stranger you work with takes you with a plastic bottle in the refectory. There's a fight, you hit the man you love, and then find him in the hospital where he kisses you. Boldly. And you think - this is worth that one last appeal, but he tells you to go. And then finds you, sees you broken, and gives you back your key.
And you disappear
Check out the incredible chemistry the actor have here:
see pseudo-trailer below:
... until I realised - do we really want them to be together? Sure, they're incredibly beautiful and when their bodies are pressed together and the sun hits them just like that... you half-wonder if you can possibly love anyone else but Max Riemelt.
But he's gone - and I think goddamit, you should be happy for him. He's found a way to let go and give his man what he thinks is his best shot at happiness.
So yeah, okay, I'll take the ending. And I think it's a great ending because with the two storylines, it is sumptuous. It may be touted as the German version of 'Brokeback Mountain', but I think it exceeds the sappy 'I will wrap my shirt around yours' metaphor which, frankly, made me throw up a little at the back of my throat when I saw it all those years ago.
Anyway, just to prove my point - you know how it is. Apparently, so do the Israelis (trailer looks gorgeos - I desperately want to see this movie):
[images retrieved off a google search - moving gifs from various Tumblr geniuses and the photoshoot's by Jonas Lindstroem for German magazine, Interview]
