Queer Austrian filmmaker Patric Chiha s last film was Brothers Of The Night a gritty fascinating documentary about a small group of young Bulgarian Roma men who barter with sex for a better life in Vienna.  Now he is back with  his new film ‘If It Were Love’ which also had its premiere af Berlinale but this time picking up the prestigious Teddy Award for Best LGBT Documentary.

The film is a record of an avant-garde queer  dance piece called Crowd created by  Franco/Austrian choreographer and visual artist Gisèle Vienne.   In it she creates a mesmeric night of intrigue at a 90’s rave that is completely hypnotic.  Chiha intimately films the company of 20 different dancers as they move from theater to theater recreating the piece which is never ever the same.

The slow-motion moves on stage brimming with sexual against a heavy thumping techno-track is so very spellbinding.  And you do not have to be  a dance aficionado to be completely swept up 

At one point his camera captures the performers off stage talking about their own back stories that they use to create their own on stage personas many who are sexually or otherwise confused.  Like the girl who is attracted to troubled people and a ‘Nazi boy who lusts after a gay boy.

The really high points come when you suddenly realise that you have crossed that fine line between watching a staged documentary to actually believe you  are there as part of this rave,  It is an exhilarating experience. 

Chiha’s very visual film about Vienne’.s extraordinary emotional piece may not  appeal to everyone, but we all need to step outside our comfort zone to support exceptional queer work like this

 

 

PS You may also like to read:

https:// queerguru.com/brothers-of-the-night/