A German film set in Berlin and giving us a year in the life of a 22-year-old gay man who has moved there from a smaller town to be with his boyfriend.
Moritz (Lorenz Hochhuth) soon breaks up with Jonas and sets out from a state of complete solitude to find himself in this big city known for its gay scene.
At first, he is reluctant to experiment much and moves in with Noah (Cino Djavid), a gentle older man who treats him well but later he decides to experiment more, getting a buzz cut, tattoos and taking drugs that he previously refused.
We see him with a variety of different people, both men and women and probably at one point having sex for money though this and how he supports himself is not made clear.
Finally, he gets closer to Eleftheria (Marie Tragousti) and Kasi (Cat Jugravu), the latter a fashion designer. By the end of the 80-minute film Moritz is comfortable wearing these flamboyant clothes and celebrating his birthday with a wide range of new friends and acquaintances.
Director Hannes Hirsch is giving us a taste of Berlin, the music and the residents from a side we don’t usually see. He recreates the hedonistic lifestyle well with trance music and good photography by Eli Börnicke.
Acting is low-key and effective with all the protagonists coming across as natural.
A decent enough debut film.
2 stars plus
passionfilm 