NewFest Pride: Boy Meets Boy

Boy Meets Boy
Directed by Daniel Sanchez Lopez
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There is something about traveling and being in a different place that helps people to lose their inhibitions. Actions don’t seem permanent and decisions aren’t consequential, and there may be a desire to do things that wouldn’t otherwise feel right or recommended since they won’t be remembered or impactful upon returning home. Intentions aren’t everything, however, and the strength of a connection formed under those circumstances may still be momentous and enduring. Not wanting to depart from that feeling is understandable, and, in moments of desperation, those who know they have little time away left may do everything possible to preserve it while they can.

Harry (Matthew James Morrison) is in Berlin and has been enjoying himself over the course of the past two days. Just as he is about to leave to head back home to England, he meets Johannes (Alexis Koutsoulis) at a club. The two begin speaking and quickly learn a good deal about one another, unpacking their experiences as gay men, citizens of the world, and strangers destined never to see each other again once Harry heads to the airport.

This is a revitalizing freshness to this film and its casual nature, one that introduces Harry and Johannes and allows the audience to accompany them on their whirlwind tour of Berlin and each other’s personalities. Their conversations are almost entirely one-on-one, though one early moment in which Harry chats up a missionary who also happens to be British reveals a good deal about their conflicting perspectives and how they perceive themselves. Neither is the clear protagonist, and instead this is equally about how energized they feel by the other’s presence, both for the curious visitor and the more grounded local.

The effectiveness of this film, which runs just seventy-five minutes, is enhanced considerably by the performances from Morrison and Koutsoulis. There’s something inherently natural and accessible about their approach to the characters, which invites those watching in to their worlds, showing both how they present themselves to strangers and how they reveal their inner thoughts through body language and speech patterns. This is in many ways a simple story that is conveyed by its direct title, but this film doesn’t stop at the surface level, allowing its protagonists to discover far more about each other than they expect in this rich and rewarding film that makes a sincere impact even with its brief running time.

B+

NewFest Pride Spotlight: See You Then

See You Then
Directed by Mari Walker
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The end of a relationship is usually very difficult for both parties, even if its dissolution isn’t a mutual decision. In order to readjust to life without a partner, time apart is often necessary. The tremendous closeness and intimacy that existed previously must be replaced by distance so that healing can begin. After a considerable amount of time has passed, it may be possible for two people who used to be together to see each other in a new way. It can be therapeutic or painful, especially if those who were once partners are now entirely different people.

Kris (Pooya Mohseni) has returned to her college town for the first time since transitioning. It has been more than a decade since her relationship with Naomi (Lynn Chen), who is now married with two children. They meet at a restaurant to talk about what they’ve done since they last saw each other and what now fills most of their days. Their conversations begin as pleasant and refreshing and slowly reach a more dramatic point as old wounds are once again opened up and the way their relationship ended threatens to derail any hope of a present-day friendship or even a sincere reconciliation.

This film is a marvelously intriguing two-hander, featuring a few faces that pop up over the course of Kris and Naomi’s night spent together but serve only to support the way in which they interact with each other. Who Kris used to be exists only in her memories and in Naomi’s, and in certain moments it feels like they are interacting as two new people, but it’s impossible for them to fully separate who they are now from who they were then. Naomi is a liberal, forward-thinking artist entirely open to who Kris has become, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t hold her accountable for what she did and how she acted when she was someone else.

Mohseni and Chen convey years of history in the way that they talk to each other, initially guarded and unsure of what to say and then easily able to slip back into old dynamics. What they discuss is both general and highly specific, unpacking the problems that society faces and applying them to what did or didn’t work about their relationship. It’s a riveting and deeply compelling portrait of two people who share many similar values and hold plenty of opinions that complicate who and how they’re able to be with each other.

B+