Award-winning Argentinean gay filmmaker Marco Berger has teamed up with Marcelo Monaco, a fellow countryman of his who’s expertise is in gay porn, to make an anthology of short films that explore unconsummated desire. Both of them wrote & directed three stories, each of them focusing on men getting very close to together in various states of undress and turning up the heat somewhat even though they never actually get it on.
The series starts strong with ‘Ari’ a great wee piece about a slight young man who goes to get his very first tattoo, and fantasizes about the very rugged tattooist as his hands touch his body making the ‘ink’, and the young man starts to fall for him. We are never sure if his feelings are unrequited or not, but there is no mistaking the sexual tension.
‘The Cousin’ is about a nerdy guy who goes to stay at his friend’s country house. Also there, is his cousin who, whether he is lying on his bed or emerging dripping wet getting out of the swimming pool, he cannot help but display his very noticeable bulge. He strips and showers and as he dresses his exposed penis practically hits the nerdy guy in the face. Later he contrives to push his protruding part into the other boy’s hand but neither of them know what they want or what to do next, and so in the morning after the cousin has vanished.’
‘The Other One’ is the less effective of the stories as it is about two very young best friends obsessed with swapping stories of sexual conquest, when one confesses that he is still a virgin as his penis is now so large, no girl will let him penetrate her. His mate offers to teach him how to woo his girl sufficiently so he can get his way, and to do so the boys strip down to their underpants and act the whole thing out. The poor acting didn’t help this one.
‘Broken Arms’ is about a injured man who spies on an hospital orderly changing his clothes before he then washes him in the shower. There is no dialogue and we are never sure which man (if any) has any desire for the other, but regardless of that the atmosphere is electric in this simple wee story.
‘Love’ is rather an odd scenario about a man on a romantic getaway with his girlfriend, and after problems with plumbing he ends up taking a shower together with the hot burly handyman, and although the stall is very small they make sure their penises do not touch. It was strangely erotic.
My enthusiasm was beginning to wan by the final segment which was called ‘Workout’ about two muscular gym bunnies, very obviously gay, who were taking semi naked pictures of each other to sex-text to two (unseen) hot ‘chicks’.
Overall there are some really sexy scenes which primarily tease and as the title promise do create some definite sexual tension ….. both for the characters and very much for the viewer too. I am assuming that as this Anthology is titled Volume 1, there is more to come, and if this is the case I would argue for less repetition next time and a tad more variety.
Having said that I still think it is a excellent idea though and well executed, and I would defy any gay (and curious) man not to get turned on by at least a couple of the stories, if not more.
P.S. There is already a Volume 2 , subtitles Violetas. It’s for lesbians, so I think I may pass on that.