Intolerance is bad. Lying is bad. Being true to yourself and others if good. All laudable sentiments no? What's that? You don't understand? Well perhaps you'd like to have those themes jackhammered into your skull. If that's the case then one really must see Summer Storm, an exercise in didacticism that would make the Revolutionary Communist Party shudder at the lack of subtlety.
Tobi (Robert Stadlober) and Achim (Kostja Ullman) are best friends who wrestle naked and jerk off together. Pretty standard really for a couple of youngsters. It just might be though, that Tobi has a "different" kind of affection for Achim (hint: Tobi is gay). Achim doesn't know of course because of the extreme subtlety of Tobi's desire, like when he makes a pass at him while bowling or straddles him with an erection in the locker room. They and the rest of their Bavarian hillbilly team are off to a coed rowing camp for some summertime recreation. Also at the camp will be Achim's girlfriend Sandra (Miriam Morgenstern) and Tobi's supposed love interest Anke (played by Poland's Britney Spears, Alicja Bachleda-Curus). But wait, that's not all. There is also a team of urbane Berlin rowers called the Queerstrokes.
Confronted with his homosexual urges and Achim's alternating obliviousness and disinterest, Tobi begins to sink under the weight of his illusory heterosexuality. How do we know this? Because Toby sinks in the water in an illustrative scene. After accusations of Tobi's gayness go public, a barrier seems to form between him and his teammates. What gives us this insight? Maybe it's the gigantic pine tree that falls between him and his teammates.
The scenery is often breathtaking and the acting is as good as the script will allow. The film has it's moments of comedy, sometimes unintentional, but it needs a lot of work to make it enjoyable. Lost underneath the preaching is a coming-of-age story about homosexual athletes. Potentially there are many interesting angles to approach this subject from but Summer Storm prefers to take it head-on with a Mack truck. The road that truck takes is paved with good intentions. Anybody wanna guess where it goes?
Tobi (Robert Stadlober) and Achim (Kostja Ullman) are best friends who wrestle naked and jerk off together. Pretty standard really for a couple of youngsters. It just might be though, that Tobi has a "different" kind of affection for Achim (hint: Tobi is gay). Achim doesn't know of course because of the extreme subtlety of Tobi's desire, like when he makes a pass at him while bowling or straddles him with an erection in the locker room. They and the rest of their Bavarian hillbilly team are off to a coed rowing camp for some summertime recreation. Also at the camp will be Achim's girlfriend Sandra (Miriam Morgenstern) and Tobi's supposed love interest Anke (played by Poland's Britney Spears, Alicja Bachleda-Curus). But wait, that's not all. There is also a team of urbane Berlin rowers called the Queerstrokes.
Confronted with his homosexual urges and Achim's alternating obliviousness and disinterest, Tobi begins to sink under the weight of his illusory heterosexuality. How do we know this? Because Toby sinks in the water in an illustrative scene. After accusations of Tobi's gayness go public, a barrier seems to form between him and his teammates. What gives us this insight? Maybe it's the gigantic pine tree that falls between him and his teammates.
The scenery is often breathtaking and the acting is as good as the script will allow. The film has it's moments of comedy, sometimes unintentional, but it needs a lot of work to make it enjoyable. Lost underneath the preaching is a coming-of-age story about homosexual athletes. Potentially there are many interesting angles to approach this subject from but Summer Storm prefers to take it head-on with a Mack truck. The road that truck takes is paved with good intentions. Anybody wanna guess where it goes?