Two small town boys in love in a conservative European society plan to live their relationship openly when they move to Amsterdam while studying movie making and enjoying what the big city may bring.
Tom (Bas Keizer) thinks himself as a bisexual, Ajani (Jefferson Yaw Frempong-Manson) openly gay, are happy together and share interests on audiovisual projects.
Institutional education awaits for Tom, he has been accepted after a rigorous and hard-fought selection process. Tom is self-sufficient and likes to work alone, he is warned by his teachers that collaborations are inherent to the world of cinema. Ajani seems to like to drift a little.
In Amsterdam there are new experiences for the boys individually and for both. Through a group of friends closer to Ajani they go partying and are introduce to the night life, its fun and its risks.
The intense day time activity learning at school and after hours celebrating birthdays or with the band do not allow enough time for Tom and Ajani to communicate properly.
There is a trip to Berlin to make some shooting for a film and the original plan to go there together changes. Tom goes alone while Ajani stays in Amsterdam.
This fictional queer drama shot in black and white with an interesting use of shadows that are a projection of what is being portrayed, shows how the protagonists adapt to the situations they live and how their bond may or may not keep them together, while finding their places to fit in.
Since movie is about cinema language Tom´s remark on his class mates not knowing Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky is very interesting. The way the film has been shot, the handheld camera sequences the main character records, spontaneity in the dialogues and actions, refer to Cinema Verité techniques.
Directed and co-written by Dennis Alink and Thomas van der Gronde : the film is screening at NewFest in NY
Review by José Mayorga , Guatemala, Central America lawyer and notary public, visual artist, and editor of El Azar Cultural, lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities life brings and eager to live the experience.
Labels: 2024, Bas Keizer, Denis Alink, Jefferson Yaw Frempong-Manson, José Mayorgas, OUT, review
