Premiered at 2019's Outfest LA, it won the Max Ophüls Prize, a prestigious award in Germany. Writer-director Kai Kreuser, a German filmmaker, has been the principal force behind the web series
Kuntergrau, a short-form show about five gay friends in Deutschland. The series focused on young, white gay men under the age of 25. This film is about two gay men in particular who are a bit older and are at different stages in their lives. One of the men isn't even white, as Kreuser delves into the issue of the Syrian refugee crisis that is currently affecting Europe. His angle on it is to consider the circumstances, if one of those Syrian refugees were gay.
Renato Schuch stars as Waseem, a man who came to Germany from Syria, specifically the city of Aleppo. He was studying music until the war forced him to abandon it. He probably had a home and a relatively normal life in Aleppo. Now, he stays in a shelter, sleeping in a small bunk bed with tons of other refugees, little privacy and impoverished conditions. In order to survive or provide himself with money, he works as a hustler, a prostitute for gay men who will pay for his services. Given that he probably is unable to get a regular job due to his migrant and possibly undocumented status, selling his body is really his only option.
Nikolas Benda co-stars as Lars, a wealthy German who becomes a regular client for Waseem. At first, Waseem looks at him as someone that he can use to get money. Lars is at first seen as just a source of cash. It's not sure what Lars does for work and what his social circle looks like, but he seems like a rather lonely person. He has quite a bit of sex toys and at first Lars sees Waseem as a sex toy too. However, things change when Waseem's feelings are hurt by Lars' objectifying him. Lars had begun having curious feelings about Waseem. His feelings though begin to deepen, as the question arises about Waseem's sexuality.
Yes, Waseem has sex with men for money, but he asserts that he isn't gay. This is a short film, so Kreuser perhaps doesn't have the time to explore the full backstory of Waseem. Of course, there have been plenty of straight men who have done sex-work with male clients or men who have done gay pornography but who have claimed to be heterosexual in their personal lives. He's in a desperate situation and male prostitution might be an easier thing in terms of finding opportunities than anything else. However, most might still think it odd or unlikely that a straight man, especially one from Waseem's country or culture, would engage in such sex-work, if he weren't actually gay. For Waseem himself, he probably agrees with thinking it odd or unlikely, which is why he resists Lars' attempts to imply that Waseem is gay or that he might be open to a gay romance or relationship with Lars.
The question of what Waseem's sexuality actually is or what label his orientation should be given is the underlying question here. In a way, Waseem resists being labeled. Yet, his job almost requires that he does get labeled something, anything or whatever his clients want. However, it's clear to him that the gay label would put him in danger, as fellow Syrian refugees would bully, harass or even attack him with such a label. I don't think the film resolves this question or issue, except to suggest that Kreuser's title is an ironic one and that the point is you probably shouldn't label people. Accept what they say they are.
Not Rated but contains full frontal nudity and graphic sexuality.
Running Time: 1 hr.
Available on Dekkoo.
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