Title – ‘Fogi Is a Bastard‘
Director – Marcel Gisler
Starring – Fredric Andrau, Vincent Branchet, Urs Peter Halter, Jean-Pierre Von Dach
Release Date – April 28, 1999
Title – ‘Boygame’ (as part of ‘Straight Men and The Men Who Love Them: Vol. 3‘)
Director – Anna Österlund Nolskog
Starring – Charlie Gustafsson, Joakim Lang, Sophie Adolfsson, Palmira Koukkari Mbenga
Release Date – December 3, 2013
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This week on the Dekkoo Dispatch we’re covering two films that center on youth and sexuality and the angst that arises from that potent combination.
‘Boygame’ (part of ‘Straight Men and the Men Who Love Them Vol: 3‘) is a masterful investigation into the limits (or lack thereof) of male bonding from Swedish director Anna Österlund Nolskog. Yup that’s right. One of the sexiest and deepest probing studies into straight guys maybe not being that straight is from a woman. The short centers around best friends John and Nicholas. They joke together, encourage each other to chase after their girl crushes, and even jerk off together. But once conversation turns to
the mechanics of sex and how they’ll be able to keep from cumming too quickly that’s when the line between friends and something more gets a little blurry. There’s so much about this short film to fall in love with, but personally my favorite part is right at the end studying the character’s faces to determine exactly what they’re thinking. Each time I come up with something different and it never fails to make me feel giddy in one way or another.
After you’ve fallen in love with John and Nicholas from ‘Boygame’ it’s time to keep up those reading skills with another foreign film. This time from Switzerland (French language), the land of mountains, watches, chocolates, and drug addicted rockers like Fogi, one of the main protagonists (although he could also be considered the antagonist) of ‘Fogi is a Bastard‘. I watched this movie for the first time when I was in high school or early college and really felt a connection with Beni, the main character since he was a
similar age and also looking for love. Now re-watching it later I’ve fallen in love with it even more since I can now recognize many of the tell-tale signs of impending romantic disaster which occur in the film quite frequently – that and I’m also just really into guys in collars now more than I was before.
15-year-old Beni goes to a rock concert one night and falls in love with Fogi, the lead singer of a so-so rock band. He quickly becomes a ‘roadie’ and Fogi introduces him to sex and tenderness which Beni sucks in like a sponge. At first Fogi isn’t really a ‘bastard’ as the title would suggest. He’s vulgar and off-putting, but those are qualities that rock stars usually posses and Beni admires that. After a while though one of Fogi’s band members
gets him back into heroin which has negative consequences on their relationship (obviously). Beni is persistent in his love for Fogi and won’t let go even when Fogi prostitutes him out to older men for drug money.
‘Fogi is a Bastard‘ is definitely a film that stands out from the pack for its tender study of drugs affecting a loving relationship. Parallels could be drawn to Ira Sachs’ ‘Keep the Lights On’ for it’s portrayal of two souls battling it out in the name of affection and love.
There are also some fantastic images in this film that refuse to leave my memory like when Beni curls up at Fogi’s feet and then Fogi pours milk on his face. Lactosploitation indeed!
Watch these films! You won’t be disappointed.
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Watch ’em with: A friend who enjoys sexy foreign films
Mix ’em with: A 6-pack of good beer
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Discover great gay stories. 