Movie Review - Mario (2018)

There have been many, professional athletes who have come out as gay. Typically, those athletes would do so after they are retired from whatever sport they participated. In the United States, there have only been three athletes who have been openly gay while currently in one of the big professional sports. The first was Robbie Rogers who came out as gay in 2013. He joined the Los Angeles Galaxy that same year becoming the first American pro-athlete to play in any pro-league. Jason Collins who came out as gay in 2013 played with the New Jersey Nets for one season in 2014. Michael Sam came out publicly as gay in 2014 and was drafted to the St. Louis Rams later that year but his career was over by 2015. In the five years since Rogers broke that barrier, the MLB, the MLS, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL haven't had an openly gay player be openly gay while still playing in their leagues.

Olympic athletes are a different case, but the major American team sports have been lacking. People in those team sports, meaning heterosexual players and team managers, seem receptive and tolerant or accepting. They say they wouldn't mind having gay players in those leagues, and it's assumed that there are gay men in those sports. Yet, those players remain closeted and secretive of their sexuality to the public. The question is why. This film might provide some answers in that regard.

This film focuses on soccer players in Switzerland. Though it's not American, a lot can be extrapolated here as to why none of the major, American sports haven't had an openly gay player serve longer than Jason Collins or Michael Sam did. The reasons would obviously include locker room harassment, which we see here, and on-the-field harassment, which is present in this film, as well as discrimination from the managers and owners, which we also see here.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been a Hollywood film that has done what this film does and explores a gay athlete in a team sport. To my knowledge, there has only been one, independent film that has explored that kind of character. The Pass by Ben A. Williams features British soccer players. That film, however, never takes us into the locker room or onto the field. Nevertheless, it brilliantly conveys the homophobia and the desire along with the desperation between two men both in the sport and both gay. The Pass is more of a gimmick, a very good one, adapted from a play, but still a gimmick. There have been independent films that have explored gay athletes in college or who are still in school like Handsome Devil also from the UK and 1:54 from Canada or Jongens from the Netherlands. This film though is about professional athletes in a team sport, which hasn't really been done before outside a TV show.

Max Hubacher stars as Mario Lüthi, a Robbie Rogers-type and the soccer player at the center of this story. Despite having a spot on a pro-soccer team in Switzerland, he still lives at home with his parents. It's not so odd given that it seems Mario's father is managing his sports career after initially coaching his son. That is until his father arranges for Mario to have an agent. Mario then appears to be on track to get a leading position, but things get shaken up when a new player from Germany is added to the team.

Aaron Altaras co-stars as Leon Saldo, the new player from Germany who ruffles a few feathers during his first game with the team. Leon is painted as a ball hog. However, Leon sparks a friendship with Mario, makes him laugh and trains with him. Eventually, the manager of the team offers Mario an apartment in the city, so that he doesn't have to commute to work anymore, but the catch is that Mario has to live with Leon. This doesn't bother either of them. They continue to train and have fun together, playing video games and the like.

Jessy Moravec also co-stars as Jenny, a girl who is very close to Mario. Presumably, they grew up together and are the best of friends. Leon assumes that Jenny is actually Mario's girlfriend, but after a conversation about it, Leon makes another assumption and kisses Mario without warning and rather boldly. When another player on the team realizes that Mario and Leon have hooked up, that player starts bullying them and informs the team's managers, which could get both of them suspended or kicked off the team. As a result, Jenny has to pretend to be Mario's girlfriend in order to protect his status in the sport.

This film was nominated as Best Film at the Swiss Film Prize, a ceremony that's akin to the Oscars. It didn't win that award, but it did win two others, that of Best Actor for Hubacher and Best Supporting Actor for Moravec. Those wins felt very much deserved. Hubacher is great as a conflicted man who comes to be torn between two things he loves, the sport and his boyfriend. The reality is presented that he can't have both things, so he has to choose. The tragedy that he has to give up something he loves is handled very well here and with very good dramatic moments and scenes that Hubacher and Moravec superbly perform.

It's probably getting annoying to compare every gay male film to Brokeback Mountain (2005), but that Oscar-winning film is the gold standard. Not many films live up to that level or pack the same kind of punch as that 2005 classic. This film, written and directed by Marcel Gisler, does live up to that gold standard and does pack the same kind of punch, especially at the end. The final scene is similar in emotional, if not physical ways to the final scene of Brokeback Mountain. Arguably, the ending here isn't as sad, but it is still very much affecting.

Not Rated but contains intense sexuality, nudity and language.
Running Time: 2 hrs. and 4 mins.

Available on DVD and VOD.