Movies: Bent, You'll Get Over It

Bent (1997)

I began watching this movie six months ago and decided to cease maybe it was because it was not capturing me. The real reason was that I never used to actually watch movies, they'd be mere background noises while I went about my night of insomnia. Nowadays, I have a thorough attention span and I found this movie all kinds of entertaining.
So, to kick things off we're presented with a 'nightclub' scene of the Weimar Berlin persuasion featuring a bevy of individuals clad in the kind of clothes associated with circus, burlesque, cabaret etc etc. and they're dancing, and smooching, and drinking, and fucking and smiling (It even has Mick Jagger as a drag queen flouncing around on a bird swing a la Moulin Rouge). So, you're experiencing this visionary dream, the delectable Clive Owen shows up (as Max) and flits around being a babe but you're not invested because you know this is a concentration camp movie and you know where it's heading and you don't get too attached to this narrative because you know it's only included to provide contrast and to rip your tiny heart to pieces when the shit hits the fan.
The movie itself is less concerned with exposing the horrors of Nazi Germany than it is about developing this relationship between these two men - Max, who opts for a Jewish badge to avoid getting a pink triangle, and Horst who has, which means you're a flaming homo, in case you didn't know.
While I really did enjoy this one, there was this niggling feeling that if this were presented to you as a pie there would be some tiny portion of the pie missing. It could have had to do with the fact that knowing the nature of the film I wasn't expecting any sort of fluffy, feel good movies. Perhaps, I have become so adjusted to your standard format that when something goes slightly askew I freak out. It may be attributed to it being a play initially. Even though I love me a good play - movie crossover there's always something wrong. Usually too dialogue heavy or lacking in fragrant imagery.

You'll Get Over It (2002)

Known by the frenchies as À cause d'un garçon which translates to "due to a boy", this is your average coming out/coming of age film. Vincent is this secret homo but a partially non-discreet rendez-vous with a fancy beau puts him in hot water when some of ses amis 'out' him in front of the whole school by the surefire method of schoolyard graffiti! Point of difference, he's a swimmer and has no desire to don a feather boa, colour his hair pink and go off dancing to Annie Lennox (although he does make a 'nightlife' attempt which results in a myriad of unwanted advances by putrid men treating him as some prize to be won). Now that he is a known homo, his swim team now hate him and will do anything to deter him from swimming with them (maybe because you can you catch gay through chlorinated water?). I actually really enjoyed this one. I think that if movies like these exist (slightly more honest and nuanced accounts) or were more accesible it could aid gay youths into more of a positive, self-acceptive state. Just a thought.