Matthias lives in Berlin. Matthias likes techno. Matthew likes Matthias. Matthew wants Matthias. Matthew wants to be Matthias. You can see how it all plays out in the intense (and intensely erotic) new drama M/M – now available to stream exclusively on Dekkoo.
M/M is the debut feature film from Canadian-born, Berlin-based writer/director Drew Lint. In association with Lint, it was produced by Karen Harnisch of Film Forge Productions, the Toronto-based production company behind the Cannes Critics’ Week favorite Sleeping Giant. Filmed in 2015 and featuring breakout dramatic performances from Antoine Lahaie and Nicolas Maxim Endlicher, M/M premiered in competition at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in January.
Matthew (Lahaie) is a young Canadian new to Berlin. He’s come to make a fresh start, but he feels the isolation of living in a strange, new city. When he meets Matthias (Endlicher), he is entranced. Beautiful and charismatic, Matthias is everything Matthew wants to be.
Soon Matthew’s interest escalates, becoming an obsession. He begins to transform himself to embody the object of his desire, cutting his hair, getting new clothes. When Matthias gets into a motorcycle accident, the opportunity is too perfect. Matthew is Matthias. In a coma in the hospital, Matthias’ waking life, dreams and memories blur. Where the real ends, the artificial begins. Meanwhile, Matthew sinks deeper and deeper into his new surroundings. When Matthias wakes and confronts him, they embark a new a strange final chapter.
M/M is a film of unique contrasts. Hot queer bodies are entangled together against the heavy grey sky of Berlin. Extreme explorations of identity and desire feel nevertheless familiar. It is surreal but completely grounded in truth and naturalism. Pulsing techno draws you in and washes over you. It the kind of movie that is better experienced than explained.
The movie is also a labor of love. “We made the film with a tiny budget, cobbled together with crowdfunding, some small private investments, and the incredible contributions of key crew who were determined to get it in the can,” said director Lint. “We shot run-and-gun on the streets and in the subway, shooting in doorways, public toilets and abandoned buildings. We adapted to every situation. True to the DIY spirit of Berlin, we persevered and managed to make the film we wanted to make, begging and borrowing when we had to. It was guerrilla shooting at its finest.”
You can watch M/M right now on Dekkoo. Check out the trailer below.