Taekwondo

In 2014 I thought and wrote of Berger's Hawaii... Berger's use of eroticism is a bit obvious in this. Perhaps because I've seen his moves before, they stand out as a bit contrived.

It seems for Taekwondo the only effort to stretch and evolve has been to up the ante of sexual tension with more men and more (much more) nudity. Again Berger shows us that eroticism is introduced by so much more than sex. Its still an animal notion of combined human attraction, contact and bond. The movie clings to his oft used narrative "will they or wont they" but here it felt reduced to teen angst. I recognized some effort to add questions of machismo, sexuality (as usual) and questions of the bonds of friendship. If you've seen Berger's wonderful "Plan B" or "Sexual Tension" "Absent" or "Hawaii" you've see most of the tricks and many of the shots also used in this movie as well as pacing, shot composition, and narrative exploration before, but in a better movie than this one.

As a glass of clear sparkling champagne, this simple yet powerful movie left me lost after I finished watching it. Movie silently takes over you from the beginning. The plain setup of the movie where a bunch of friends meet for spending some casual happy time together at a countryside home. A group of long term buddies who regularly hangout and relax together on holidays.

It is a tale of two young men who became friends during their Taekwondo classes, German and Fernando.

German is a boy with dark hair, sharp features and a fit body. You fall in love with this character instantly. He is gay and he has come over to his Taekwondo training partner upon his invitation, Fernando. Fernando has grown with this bunch of friends and most of them are not aware of his sexual preference. Fernando is a character like a gentle cool breeze on a summer evening. A very humble person who has invited his old childhood friends to his parents lavish big house with all the amenities to relax; from swimming pools to tennis courts.

As expected of a summer time filled among friends. Random conversations between boys who are mostly moving about in house spending time casually in shorts or most of the times in colored underwear or barely anything. Your eyes go gaga on those gorgeous bulges and tight asses director has taken with such perfection for a gay themed movie. With lot of silent moments movie sinks into you and gives you time to feel what is happening between Fernando and German in midst of these random conversations. As a typical gay movie a lot of nude scenes which fit the simple screenplay are available for feasting your eyes.

Fernando and German can't hide their feelings for each other. Yet none of them take a stance to tell another. Air around them speaks louder than the dialogues. Subtle hints are dropped occasionally by both men to let the other know what is their orientation. They keep the relation hidden from other but it is not really hidden to couple of eyes in the group.

There is a strong yet very subtle connection between them. They goggle each other's willies when ever there is an occasion. A silent tale of love and passion stirs and moves through the entire plot But the chemistry and the acting is so natural that you can identify what a true gay guy goes through when he is surrounded by his heterosexual friends. Germán tries to keep it down and lay low but jerks off when he finds Fernando laying in his bed naked first thing when he gets up in the morning.

The movie shows the forward European culture in it's most plain form. The beauty of the movie lies in the fact that all the characters are given equal importance and the intensity of each character is emphasized which is stupendous if pulled without the help of hot steamy sex scenes for which director has done a good job. Though throughout the movie there is no physical thump-thump between the protagonists but this movie brings you at the brink of begging for a kiss between Fernando and German. At last when they finally kiss, it's the most lovable feeling a gay person can derive in this world. Pure, natural expression of love. A passionate kiss which tells how long both waited for this moment to come. Blush Blush.

It's a must watch for any person who has felt annoyed, uncomfortable being around straight friends who are there as friends but some part of you hides this feeling from them what you and partner speak in midst of them.

In 2013 Marco Berger wrote and directed 'Hawaii', a film whose central premise was a will-they-won't-they relationship between two young men whiling away the summer in a nice house. Two years later Martín Farina made 'Fulboy', a documentary about a football team that was characterised by random conversations and far too many extreme close-ups of various body parts that made it difficult to know who was talking at any one time. So what is the result when Berger and Farina make a film together?

Hosting a group of male friends at his family's nice house for a summer break, Fernando also invites Germán, a team-mate from his taekwondo class. While the rest of the gang - usually clad only in shorts and occasionally in nothing at all - engage in random conversation, Germán wonders if Fernando is going to come on to him. But is Fernando homosexual anyway?

There are definite flaws in this film: co-director Farina's love of the body-part close-up is well in evidence, although thankfully slightly tempered since 'Fulboy' - most times the viewer eventually finds out who is talking! There are also times when closer attention to continuity would have been welcome: the girlfriend of one of the men suddenly disappears without explanation, and the appearance of a pet dog toward the end of the film is similarly unexplained - where was he before - locked in the shed?

I also felt the film dragged slightly in its last third, although it is hard to know how it could have been shortened: with something always happening on-screen - albeit in an extremely relaxed fashion - obvious padding is kept to a minimum. The actors are all convincing in their delivery of the mostly inconsequential, occasionally offensive, conversations: not obviously ad libbing but also not declaiming as if they were in Shakespeare. And - crucially for this film - they all appear content with the paucity of their wardrobes and pleasing casual nudity. So, despite the film's weak spots, I'd happily watch it again.

If you want to appreciate male beauty then this is your canvas: the torso, the legs, the chest, the thighs; everything is here. This movie is about the art of capturing male beauty at its finest hue. It is slow-paced to make you absorb the beauty. Moments of silence really gives you the chance to absorb what the camera has captured.

As a film that touches on the male relations subject, I found it refreshing how it approached the theme from a non-stereotypical stance. It is about discovering, and getting comfortable with each other, from a minimal dialogue. It is about being present, there and then. This is what I applaud Marco and Martín for. It wasn't about filling the conversation but it was about giving the audience the chance to grow with the characters by appreciating them by getting to know them.

The men in this work of art are just breathtaking; the perfect dose for those who appreciate Latin men beauty. It is an Argentinean film so you really get what Argentina has to offer in terms its accent and its men: the Arab-looking, the Spanish-looking, the Italian-looking, the Swedish-looking, the Russian-looking. Everything!

It was the film "The Blonde One" that led me to "Taekwondo." I was so taken by that film by Marco Berger, that I was eager to see another. Maybe I should have quite while I was ahead.

The Blonde One is a beautifully crafted film, with a strong plot, and superb acting - coupled with excellent direction and camera work.

Taekwondo didn't live up to my expectations at all. The movie is an hour and 48 minutes - but it easily felt like 3 hours. While there is certainly the eye-candy aspect to this film, with some great shots of some great looking guys, the movie seems s-l-o-w and nearly plotless.

Taekwondo is more like looking in on an adolescent vacation. Guys being guys without parental oversight.

There is some sexual ambiguity and tension between what I would call the two main characters - the owner of the house and his friend from Taekwondo. One might (or at least I did) expect that sooner or later SOMEthing will happen between them. But nothing does. Some interested glances here and there. Some almost-touching closeness. But it's always diffused, interrupted by someone walking in, or by a game that suddenly breaks out among the guys.

We watch the guys shower, swim, play tennis or kick a soccer ball around the tennis court. And the guys seem to sleep a lot. Maybe even they are bored by the lack of plot. They play hide-and-seek. And talk about their sexual conquests with the girls, or ruminate over fidelity, still unsure what their relationships with girls are supposed to look like. And now and again they conjecture on whether this or that one is gay.

The director keeps the film somewhat interesting with nice camera perspectives that often focus on a body part - like a crotch or butt. There are glimpses of bare butts and sometimes guys bare it all. But there's not enough story line to string it together, and the movie is ultimately pretty boring.