A Rosa Azul de Novalis

"The Blue Flower of Novalis" opens and closes with a shot of its protagonist's anus so you may well think you know what you're in for...or maybe not, since this documentary look into the life of gay poet Marcelo Diorio isn't quite like other films or documentaries. It's fundamentally a conversation piece between Diorio and an unseen interviewer and your tolerance for it will depend very much on how well you relate to Diorio or films of this kind which moves from a straighforward interview into staged memory and fantasy scenes that are surely purely scripted. Is Diorio always acting or is he just being himself and is there any reason for us to care one way or the other about someone so clearly egotistical and then, of course, there's the question as to why co-directors Rodrigo Carneiro and Gustavo Vinagre would have wanted to make this in the first place, (we are also privy to Diorio having fairly graphic sex). Boring and fascinating in equal measure and aimed at a very niche, and probably exclusively gay, market.

A fantastic documentary that manages to portray this person through his anus. It sounds weird at first but the concept is actually quite poetic. The film is also very funny and doesn´t hold back with its depiction of sexuality, desire and trauma. I loved it - an experience that doesn´t come around very often.

An intriguing film. A visceral experience seeing a man who is also a poet speak candidly about himself and taboo topics. It was less explicit than I expected but a truly rewarding watch, making me consider many things. I would highly recommend it.