Sturmland

This is an indy european film so I predicted it would probably either suck or I would probably just not understand it but I was extremely wrong. "Land of Storms" is a very powerful movie without even doing much. There's barely any dialoge and the action is reduced to the minimum, yet it doesn't feel dull or boring at all. In fact it got my attention from start to finish. The ending was very Shakespearean! All in all, I will definetly recommend this movie as it's based on a true story and you see how cruel the world actually is and how love sometimes is destined to die in it.

Two boys are talented football players in Germany Szabolcs is from Hungary and his best friend Bernard is German. Then after a particularly unfruitful game, Szabolc decides to return to Hungary and live in the broke down farm that he inherited from his grandfather.

Whilst he had rejected his homosexual urges in Germany - once he gets home he meets Áron and for him it is a game changer. The thing is it is also a game changer for the whole community. To say any more may be veering in to plot spoiler territory. Needless to say there are depictions of homophobia here. Some may say that we have seen it all before, but films like this need to be made to address the still pervading attitudes in many countries and communities towards LGBT people.

Filmed in Hungarian, German and a tad of English with good sub titles. This is done using an original story line, a group of talented actors and a lot of warmth. The decisions that some of the characters make may be questionable, but I am pretty safe in saying that we all have made mistakes in our lives. I found this to be engrossing, sensual - in parts - and ultimately moving; this is for lovers of gay cinema in all its parts.

I was really shocked with the ending of this. It was really hurtful to watch the end 😢 Nevertheless I did enjoy the whole plot.

A very good movie concept with very beautiful picture of a Hungarian gay themed movie. It deals as well with violence and shows the religious side and portrays homophobia as true as possible. A very beautiful and very realistic depiction of a love triangle. I enjoyed it only from the start until about 1 hour 32 minutes. The motive is a bit hard to believe and a bit far from the trigger. In order to leave the impression that killing a homosexual is justified by religion, I guess. It's sad that the director chose to play it safe so that it could be released in his own country (even if it had to fall into the horror category).

Overall it's a good movie with a few trigger warning, and at least Bernard's character made the right choice to get out of there.

The fact that it's based on a true story shows in the authenticity of the film and a storyline that doesn't fit a straight line narrative and Andras Suto's performance is so strong and the process of discovery is tangible. The emotional depth of the film is less about discovery of sexuality and more about discoveries of oneself and how shame and pressure to conform also clouds the discovery process. That is the best part of the film, it's not about sex, but about what sexuality is and if the characters can embrace that especially given the circumstances. The ending of the film feels abrupt, but the story is far from a conclusion. That's what makes it really satisfying because it leaves self discovery to continue and sometimes it's a long journey of hatred and shame and maybe you never figure it out. It's a powerful story with great performances.