VIHARSAROK (2014) Adam Csaszi

Silences and bodies are the protagonists of this beautiful Hungarian film presented in Berlin in 2014. Sensual and tragic.

A young footballer, Szabo, leaves his team in Germany because of an argument with a teammate ( and his terrible character ) to return to live in Hungary, in an inherited house, to cultivate his dream of becoming a beekeeper.

He meets Aron while they're working together to fix the roof, and a physical attraction sparks between them, sparking a very complicated relationship. The village bullies frown upon Aron's gay turn and begin the cycle of violence and abuse typical of small-town males: they perceive homosexuality as a distortion of the quiet life ( or a threat to their virility ). Homophobia and the rejection of anything different are central to this film.

Bernard, a German teammate, reaches Szabo in Hungary and declares his love for him, imposing a choice that Szabo tries to avoid, even though he knows full well which side he is choosing.

A tragic ending beautifully concludes a story marked by the protagonists' speechlessness, beautiful images of melancholic spaces, and a sense of drama that never seems to abandon the film. The purity of the photography ( masterfully used ) contrasts sharply with the physicality of the boys, quite exposed yet never ostentatious. An omnipresent eroticism and a discovery of the bodies ( beautiful ones, by the way ) by both the protagonists and the viewer. This is where the actors excel: with sweetness and sexual chemistry, they convey it perfectly.

The ending, however unexpected and surprising, is as close to reality as it gets. Unfortunately.