Seen at...
Blonde One (The)
- Director: Marco Berger
- Writer: Marco Berger
- Producer: Marco Berger; Gaston Re; Lucas Papa
CGiii Comment
Few films can get away with being slow, subdued, uneventful and littered with irrelevance! Yet...Marco Berger has done just that, partially.
It all depends upon how much you can take of the doleful, little-boy-lost, I-am-a-doormat routine that Gaston Re [the eponymous blonde one] delivers throughout. If you find him endearing, then all is well and dandy. If you don't, this will be a bit of an uphill struggle.
Indeed, he is a complex character...recently [and abruptly] widowed, with a young daughter, living away from home [and his daughter], dealing with his grief...and, coming to terms with and acting upon his latent [homo]sexuality. A character ripe for melodrama...fortunately, there's not a whiff of the 'melo' stuff, quite the contrary...he shows great restrain and reserve...arguably too much in the [self] control department...especially with his [new found] paramour being a completely selfish and closeted knobhead!
Señor Berger presents a colossal [sexual] conundrum...with one man running towards his sexuality as the other runs away from it. It's mesmerising to watch...because it is so gentle, almost to the point of being painfully polite...at times, you just want Gabriel to wake up, smell the stinking coffee and scream: I AM NOT YOUR F*!KING DOORMAT!
He doesn't...but, he does deliver one of the best 'coming outs' ever to be filmed. The Blonde One will certainly polarise opinion...the fiery will [probably] recoil, the taciturn will [definitely] relate.
This is a portrait of a man, beautifully filmed...who may lead his life quietly...but, my god, does he have purpose! Quite simply...wow!
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Prolific Argentinian director Marco Berger delivers his most assured film to date with this sexy, slow burn drama that firmly celebrates the gay male gaze.
In the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Gabriel has just moved in with his colleague, Juan. Shy and reserved, Gabo is reluctant to follow Juan’s wandering hands and meaningful looks. With a revolving door of beauties streaming out of Juan’s bedroom, his machismo seems firmly in place. However, the attraction between the two men is undeniable.
What starts out as a sexual relationship based on convenience of location, soon develops into the engrossing evolution of a tender and intimate relationship, which is as sweet as it is heartbreaking.
As reality begins to intrude on the couple’s homemaking fantasy, something has to give, or does it?
Cast & Characters
Gaston Re as Gabriel
Alfonso Barón as Juan
Malena Irusta as Ornella
Ailín Salas as Julia
Charly Velasc
Justo Calabria
Antonia De Michelis
Melissa Falter