Beyto

In this flick, we see a clash of cultures...conservative Islamic versus Western liberal. Beyto, a manly, muscly gay, young Turk living in Switzerland is forced to conform to Islamic family values. He gets married, but not without a strong resistance. Mike, his German boyfriend isn't very understanding and acts irrationally, cruelly and inappropriately towards Beyto after he returns, with wife in tow, to Switzerland. At that point, the audience loses any interest in Mike and wishes Beyto would find a worthy boyfriend. We are handed an unconventional ending, whereby everyone seems to be satisfied.....but for how long?

Good acting and script, but found weakness in Mike' character.

There have been quite a few LGBT themed films regarding characters of Turkish root (from the cult classic 'Lola and the Billy the Kid' to more recent 'Wo willst du hin, Habibi'). So the basic drama is nothing new at all. The difference here is how the characters stuck in the situation make compromises and find a way to look for a better future. Another positive note is none of the characters - Beyto's parents who forces their son to an arranged marriage, Beyto's bride, his boy friend and Beyto himself - are either demonized or victimized.

But this positive note is ultimately unconvincing, not only because it's bit unrealistic but more so because the delivery is weak. The acting, script and editing are all bit rough around the edge and loose that it feels more like a TV drama than a feature film, where things has to be kept much tighter given the limited run-time. It is most obvious with the ending. Just a scene ago, everybody was a tortured soul and the gap between them still much to wide, and then we're suddenly thrown with all smile, all sunny and blue water last scene, where everything suddenly looks positive. I can't dismiss the feeling something's missing inbetween, and frankly there were quite a few moments I felt that way through out the film.

It's a good effort, worth a watch and I'm looking forward to more of such positive looking films in the future... but I hope it could be more in a polished presentation.

A swimmer (Beyto) falls in love with his coach (Mike) and vice versa, but we are in foreign lands. First Switzerland where they meet, swim and love and then Turkey where Beyto is forced to return to as this is where he is from, where his family lives and where he is compelled to marry a woman and where what he is, gay, is an abomination. He does all he can to get out of it, but fails and ultimately marries a charming, beautiful and an eventual open-minded woman who has been a long time friend. There is much drama, anguish and arguing, but it's well written and the acting by everyone is just about perfect. In a way, it's kind of a Turkish rom-com by the time it ends though it has some very serious things on its mind throughout.

The segment in Turkey is really strong and I wished the whole movie was just this story. But the main character is very whiney and insufferable, and his Swiss boyfriend is so poorly drawn that he comes off as an unintentional misogynist when things get complicated. Without giving anything away, I was also not a fan of the implausible ending. There are a lot of promising elements in this, but they sadly don't add up for a number of reasons.

It was interesting to read some of the reviews here. Many found this tale interesting and then, of course, some did not. I agree that the plot of it has been approached in other films, but the one aspect that made it special for me was the fact that Beyto never disavows who he is. He knows exactly what he wants and regardless of the situation, he remains steadfast in his quest. Whether or not he deserves the other guy, isn't the issue. The heart knows what the heart wants and Beyto never loses that focus, even when all the odds seem to be against him. That is what I found fresh about this story and for that fact alone, I enjoyed watching the outcome. Nice production and some moving scenes! Enjoy.