Bent

English/104 Minutes/1997/Rated NC-17

“Queer is out, queer is dead. Ra-ta-tat-tat,” says Greta (Mick Jagger) in “Bent,” a film based on a London play by Martin Sherman. The film is about gay playboy, Max (Clive Owen) who is caught up in the purging of homosexuals by Nazis in 1930s Germany.

Too save himself from worse persecution Max pretends to be Jewish instead of gay (which he has to prove in a rather grisly scene) and uses his family's money and his own wits to live a slightly better life than other prisoners in Dachau.

It is here that he meets and makes friends with prisoner Horst (Lothaire Bluteau) whom he corrals into the same work detail. Every day they move rocks from one pile to another and then back.

The two men try to find love and friendship even though they are not allowed to touch each other. This leads to some interesting scenes of verbal intercourse that are provocative but not all together sold by the players.

There are some wonderful images (the opening orgy in Berlin, a hat on an electrified fence) and some great performance moments (Jagger in drag is devilish), but these moments just make the ones that don't work more obvious. The writing is obviously meant for a small troop to perform on stage with limited props and personnel and the film suffers from this restriction.

Once the film leaves Berlin and moves into Dachau (played in the film by an abandoned cement factory, complete with ductwork) the level of believability plummets significantly. Also, as much as I love Clive Owen, this is not one of his best performances as he never reaches the intensity or honesty of Bluteau. In fact, it is Bluteau's turn as Horst that makes for the most memorable character, even though he doesn't appear until nearly halfway through the film.

The honesty, integrity and desperation of Horst are what ground the movie and push it into moments of brilliance. In one scene where the two men stand at attention, unable to face each other, Horst cries when Max's verbal love play turns aggressive. He doesn't come off as a preening queen, but as a lonely man who wants the comfort of love.

It is a testament to the players that these characters don't come off as farcical or one dimensional. Say what you will about the acting, but at least they are portraying homosexuals in a way other than the "queer eye" flavor we're all used to these days. I think what makes the movie engaging for us straight folk is that the humanity is stressed over the sexuality. We get to know these men as people, not just "gays." The best films about sexuality are this way, whether it's the dysfunction of "Closer" or the true-crime tragedy of "Boys Don't Cry."

Unfortunately the film is handicapped by its budget and its focused writing. With few extras and a less than believable concentration camp the story doesn't hold up. Also the idea that these two men would be left alone to work seems to stretch the credibility. I understand this film was low budget but if you can't effectively sell the drama on film, perhaps your story is best left on the stage.

The play, first shown in 1979 (with a young Ian McKellan as Max), was among the first to openly discuss the treatment of homosexuals during the Holocaust. It asks the important question “what's wrong with being homosexual?” and has lead to such projects as the documentary “Paragraph 175” about survivors of this persecution.

In this age of saturation of stories about the Holocaust and World War II in Europe, it is refreshing to see a different perspective. The Holocaust story has been told many times on film and it is becoming difficult for filmmakers to tell the story in new and engaging ways. Many either make a showcase of horrors (The Grey Zone), or decide not to show the atrocity (The Counterfeiters). “Bent” is a fresh perspective that is honest and non-exploitative and should be applauded as such.

I recommended the film but only as there aren't many of its type. There are better holocaust films and better films about sexual identity, but “Bent” does try and for that it should be credited.

On a more sinister note, while the film is NC-17 there is not much here to warrant it. What sex there is takes place in the opening orgy scene and nary a penis in sight. The offending scene is two men having anal sex, which we see from behind and there is some thrusting. You've seen much worse in R-Rated films. The rating is sad proof that there is still “something wrong” with being gay. Recommended with reservations.

Rated NC-17 for a strong scene of graphic sexuality, explicit sexual dialogue, some brutal violence, language and drug use