Dans la mêlée

I was very lucky to be at the second public screening of IN FROM THE SIDE at the BFI Flare Film Festival at BFI Southbank in London on Saturday. March 26th 2022. The world premiere was the night before.

I was blown away by this film. At first it seems like the film is about two gay men who have an affair, but there is so much more going on in this highly engaging film.

The film grabs your attention from the start and holds it throughout what is actually rather a long film, but it didn't feel a single moment was wasted. I found I was totally engaged with the story and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

The rugby scenes are so well filmed that you actually feel you are on the pitch, right in the thick of the action. You can feel every thump and the mud!

Having spent about a year as a beginner to rugby, training with an inclusive rugby team in London, the Kings Cross Steelers, I can vouch that all the scenes centred around the workings of the club and the scenes in the clubhouse after the matches, rang absolutely true.

The script is superb and there are some really funny lines in the film that are very well delivered by the very talented actors. The film also took me by surprise and got me choked up with emotion at many points, in the second half of the film. I almost burst into tears at a couple of scenes towards the end. I won't say which ones, you'll have to experience it for yourself!

The film also has many great moments of humour. The packed house at the screening were roaring with laughter at many points, which is a joy to experience at the cinema. Something you really miss out on, when watching a film at home.

The film was shown on a really big screen and this made the whole experience very immersive.

The film ends with a really funny scene which I won't spoil, but leaves the audience with a big smile on their face.

I was absolutely bowled over when the end credits started and there was some superb animation, which I really wasn't expecting. As the credits rolled, I could see that the film's director Matt Carter not only co-wrote the script, but was also the cinematographer and composed the music and sang the superb end theme song! He also did the animation sequence too and the special effects and probably lots of other jobs. What a hugely talented man. I predict a great future for him!

The audience response was rapturous, and I am not exaggerating. There was a whole lot of love for the film coming from the audience.

The whole cast and crew did a superb job. I've never seen a film like this before, where being a gay man was so well explored and from such a unique perspective.

I think this film will appeal to a very wide audience and may also show people that gay men come in all shapes and sizes and can't be easily fitted into standard stereotypes. We are just as diverse as everyone else and just trying to live life as best we can.

It's a really fun film. Please look out for it and enjoy!

Best wishes to everyone involved in the film.

In a south London gay rugby club, the team has managed to reach respectability, and the owner persuaded to form a developmental "B" team. Mark, a star on the B team, meets Warren from the A team, who is on injury rehab. Warren seduces Mark, and they have a continuing affair, despite the fact that both have boyfriends, and a continuing relationship is breaking the rules of open relationship.

While Mark's rich boyfriend is often away on business, Warren's boyfriend is also a member of the A team. Also, a member of the B team is interested in at least "friending" Mark. But as the affair continues, Mark and Warren get ever more bold.

My chief complaint about this film is that there is too much rugby. Too many scenes of training, post-game pub events, and dance halls / parties. I suppose it is a rugby film first, and the relationship is somewhat secondary.

Two hot hunks are having an affair... Production value is good, acting is also adequate... What could go wrong?

My problem with this feature is it is so much riddled with the sense of guilt about the whole affair and infidelity. Really? Gay guys in their 30's from London, living the age of Grindr and Prep... Would they be really so stuck up about meeting other guy than their own partner? Everybody live by their own value, but all the guys in this film seem to share the same weight of guilt. Meanwhile, out in reality, there are all sorts and forms of relationships going on. Because gays don't need to conform to the model of hetero marriage, it's really up to each individuals and couples what kind of relationship they want to have. And yet, this film is so much stuck up with one moralistic point of view - 'an affair is exciting, but it can't end well'.

So where do you find your happiness? From the gay brotherhood, of course! From the 'brothers' who were so quick to judge and expose your affair... But everything's fine because they've just won the terribly cliche and dramatic last game.

I wish gay relationship dramas can come up to date and inspire something new.

Cinematography and acting: good

Music: too much it's distracting, often not even fitting the scene and overly dramatic

Script: that's where the film really lacks. Characters are not only unidimensional but not really likeable either. They are self centered and douchy. Their respective partners are non existant, except for being people they don't care about. Their decisions don't make sense with a number of clichés. We don't understand or feel why they are into each other, the only thing they do is have sex (we get it) and fight, there's no substance and the melo drama is forced... With this cast and cinematography it could have been much better. The one likeable and funny character is Pinky!

I have never watched a game of rugby in my life, but In from the Side kind of makes me want to take up a Sunday league...!

I am a sucker for a well done film that deals in betrayal/deceit/salacious affairs, so I found this an easy and enjoyable watch. However, it is the cinematography that really makes this a standout, which is why my score is so high. London is artistically captured, the city feels familiar yet also quite whimsical. The rugby matches are also very well shot, with one match in particular quite breathtakingly done.

I would perhaps give the film in terms of plot 7, but the cinematography a 9.