Pente douce

I loved this movie! I don't care that I don't understand the end or much of anything else about it. I may figure it out someday, or I may not, but that does not in any way diminish the joy this wonderful movie gave me.

I was fascinated for every one of its 75 minutes. The music alone is exhilarating, an eclectic mix including an 18th century Handel song and modern instrumentals that made me want to dance (and I am NOT a dancer). Sebastian Schlecht, who plays Johann, the darker-haired of the two lovers, is extraordinarily appealing in a quirky, understated way, and his expressions during the last ten minutes of the movie just blew me away.

I never assume actors are gay, but if these two are not, then they had the best direction any two straight actors ever had, and they followed that direction with courage and dedication and talent few actors have. I believed completely in the passion and the tenderness between them, and their love scenes are some of the most erotic I have ever seen, although they are not even close to being explicit sexually.

I can't get over how much better this movie is than other reviewers led me to expect.

Light Gradient refers to the gradual slope of a bike path the boys take through a German forest. By gradual I mean slow. Entire scenes tend to go by of light bouncing off trees, water trickling down streams.

Comparisons could be made with Summers Storm in the use of half naked young German men out in the open. However this movie has a very scant cast. Mostly 2 main characters, with 2 more joining later. This is not a coming out movie. All characters are extremely comfortable with their sexuality and I think this is a wonderful portrayal of owning ones sexuality.

However the slowness of the movie will be its downfall. Occasional spurts of naked frivolity break up the trance like pace. The many close ups of Johan are not unwelcome. Overall it makes for a visual feast. The story line, however, is not compelling, just a little puzzling.

I feel compelled to write a rare--for me--review because I feel that the only previous reviewer missed the point of this movie almost entirely.

It's true that the photography and setting are beautiful. It's also true that the title refers to the gently-sloping bike lane that the two protagonists choose for their camping weekend in the country. However, like almost everything else in the film, it also may allude to the gradual, almost imperceptible manner in which a "hike in the woods" can degenerate into a mad rush to terror.

The film opens in an antiseptic institution of unknown character wherein one of the central characters, Johann, finds himself. In voice-over, he tells of a fable involving a fox and a hare. The fox is attempting to lure the hare into the deep woods for a little adventure. The hare, ignorant of any impending danger, is finally persuaded. "I'm game", he intones. The scene then cuts to a passenger car on a train bound for the German countryside. The young man we have just met now has a new-found companion, Robin. It soon becomes apparent that the two very attractive young men are lovers, each with a bit of a masochistic/sadistic streak. The balance of this rather brief study in human nature--at a mere 75 minutes--is a test of the viewer's aptitude at deciphering which of the two boys is the hare and the other the fox. Every detail in the film is critical to avoiding being blind-sided by the ambiguous and chillingly abrupt ending.