Eismayer

This very short, but absorbing, film about a gay relationship between an older Lieutenant and a young recruit in the Austrian military Is a tough one to wrap your head around as being a true story. But it is! With photos to prove it! While it may be true that these two met and fell in love while in the armed forces together, I still find it hard to believe that it went down the way portrayed here, especially a very key scene near the end. I've no way of knowing if this actually happened the way it's depicted here, but it is a hard pill to swallow. However, I've never lived in Austria, so I will just hope that things are this easy for gay men in that country. It's sort of typical in structure with a hardnosed commander testing newbies with an onslaught of derogatory and threatening talk, though we've seen a lot worse in films such as Full Metal Jacket. It's a simple enough story on paper, perhaps too simple. We see their life on a military base, we see them fall in love and the deterioration of the Lieutenant's marriage. It's rather slight, but nevertheless it does hold your attention for those 87 minutes, including opening and closing credits. The two actors, Gerhard Liebmann in the title role and Luka Dimic as his young love, aren't going to win Oscars, but they are both good. Ditto the film.

I approached this film with some trepidation due to the setting in the army, something I'm not usually keen on watching. I needn't have feared. Army life was an integral part of the film, just as the burgeoning fascination of Charles Eismayer and Mario Falak with each other was. This was based on a real-life romance although I don't know how much was fictionalised.

Swarthy Luka Dimic playing Mario would be enough to melt anyone's heart. He did a great job, at his real age of 36, of portraying a much younger recruit. Gerhard Liebmann plays a wonderful rôle of playing the buttoned-up, closeted sergeant major.

As the story unfolds via a lovemaking scene of exquisite tenderness and passion (my goodness, Dimic's lips) we reach the inevitable conclusion. The photo of the real couple shown at the end is a good finishing touch.

For those who ask what a hunky youth sees in a far older martinet, well, there are many such relationships in both the gay and straight worlds. True love knows no age boundaries. My soul mate is thirty five years younger than me!

This film should appeal not only to niche audiences but to a wider public accepting of the revolution in morality that has taken place over the past few decades. A definite recommend.

The once-controversial topic of gays in the military has settled down somewhat from its flashpoint status years ago (even if it's not yet everything that members of the LGBTQ+ community would like it to be). But, in the not-too-distant past, it was still a hot button topic, one that made life difficult for those in the military, especially for those in relationships who served together, despite guaranteed provisions against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Those are among the challenges addressed in writer-director David Wagner's third feature outing, a fact-based tale about a closeted (and married) tough-as-nails Austrian military drill sergeant (Gerhard Liebmann) who clandestinely falls for an out-and-proud recruit (Luka Dimic). While the story and sentiments are truly touching, the overall execution, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired. Perhaps the biggest problem here is the screenplay, which is loaded with developments that unfold at an unrealistically fast pace, creating awkward transitions and, consequently, diminishing the picture's credibility. The effect of that is pacing that comes across as needlessly rushed, something that could have been resolved by simply taking a little more time to allow the narrative to develop, especially given the film's comparatively short 1:27:00 runtime. The character development feels exaggerated at times, too, with the sergeant vacillating wildly between over-the-top beast and tender loving partner and with the recruit appearing as a little too defiant and flamboyant to be convincing. And then there's the cinematography, which at times is so dark that it's virtually impossible for viewers to discern what's going on, particularly in an initial intimate sequence that's about as murky as the ocean floor. It's regrettable that this offering gets so much wrong, because it's a heartfelt story that deserves a more effective telling. There's a lot to be said for sharing a touching tale such as this, but the least its creators can do is tell it with earnest believability, something that's largely absent here.

I appreciate the honest perspective about a profound sensitive theme. The good performances, to. And, not the last, the message. A simple story of a seargent, tough, correct, brutal, in many occasions, good father and reasonable husband and the root of his behavior. A young, Yougoslavian man, recruit in Austrian Army Forces.

Their conflicts, connection, secret.

Few admitrable to touching scenes.

And beautiful way to not become victim of cliches.

Not the best film about this theme, but great for correct manner to use each detail as piece placed, in precise manner, to the fair place.

A virtue - the well use of suggestions as explanations for behavior of characters. And the ruined building in winter, remindig Andrei Tarkovski universe.

So, I like it can sounds strange. The respect for just a well crafted film is more normal. And for inspired acting.

When I first read the synopsis of 'Eismayer', I thought "god, is it going to be another 'The Sergent (1968)' or 'Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)'?". But thank god, time's changed.

I've been living in West Europe as an immigrant for barely about 15 years, and couldn't know it first hand like the locals - but I've seen how much has changed within those decade and and a half alone regarding gay rights and overall acceptance of different sexualities. In that context, older Charlie's fear and self-hate about his sexuality is just as real as younger Mario's 'I'm here, I'm queer' attitude. But in the end, we see it's the Mario's generation and their attitude that is the future. Their happy ending feels dearer because it is not any more a secret in the closet or a lonely fight against the world. Come out and embrace your love, and people will be be happy for you.

'Eismayer' is pretty much a conventional drama, not an artistic marvel. But it's well made, well acted and down-to-earth. Recommended.