This short absolutely nailed the essence of a back room wherever they are in the world. I've been to dozens in London, Berlin and Dortmund, Madrid and Barcelona, Paris, Copenhagen, elsewhere. The same tricks and manoeuvres alongside the thoughts that the film opens up for us with its voice overs are similar in all of them.
This is anonymised cruising with one object - to get off with someone "not too bad" as it's unlikely the man of one's dreams will be there.
All the tropes were on display. The hunk who makes do, the kid who isn't yet assertive enough to refuse the horrors that are mauling him, the same kid being brutally used, the despising of fems, olds, uglies. But these latter will do in the end. The resentment on display, the depersonalisation of human relations.
It's an integral part of the gay scene, as much a part of it as Kylie Minogue or Mariana Rosenberg; Earl's Court clones; leather guys at the Coleherne; posh guys at the Last Resort in Chelsea. Those last examples show my vintage off, I'm afraid. Grindr has come and things have changed but the back room remains.
The film is subbed but not all of the rapid dialogue comes up in English. It doesn't matter. It's easy to see what is going on and to work out the words and thoughts.
It's only a certain audience who will appreciate this. I'm one of them.
