buygay.com

Review

Patrice Chéreau's (L'Homme Blessé) somber and painful new film may be hard to watch, and you might need a few tissues, but it's worth the pain. This is the story of two estranged brothers, Thomas (Bruno Todeschini) who is dying of a rare blood disease and his gay brother Luc (Eric Caravaca). Thomas is dying of a disorder that progressively diminishes the platelets in the bloodstream that prevent hemorrhaging. He's constantly in danger of dying and sometimes acts irrationally. He and Luc haven't gotten along in years. When Thomas comes to visit his brother to tell him of his illness, they don't even know the basics of each other's lives. But Luc quickly regains interest in his brother and takes on the role of caretaker, patiently visiting his brother and sticking by his family. Of course, in this day and age one expects the drama to be a gay man in the hospital bed and a straight man by his side. Chéreau as unusual upsets our expectations with this reversal and it's jarringly effective. When Thomas wants to get out and experience something in Luc's life, they go together to the nude gay beach. Expect some excellent full frontal male nudity and a breakthrough in their relationship.

Chéreau, the director of the recent Intimacy is good at setting up powerful, silent scenes that allow us to reflect on the emotions of the characters. We loved the scene in which Thomas's body is shaved prior to an operation: he is gently rolled from one side and then to another to allow a plastic sheet to be positioned under him and for many minutes we watch, hearing nothing but the buzzing of electric clippers. This is again another intimate peek into people's lives that seems unscripted, real and unflinching, the camera never looks away regardless of how awful the view. (French with English subtitles)

Scott Cranin