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Du er ikke alene (Danish) [You Are Not Alone]

This film is an escape to a time lost forever. A film about life, misery, love, happiness, achievement, sex and about understanding. This film takes you into the lives of young teenage kids in a boarding school and their everyday lives and mischiefs and their daily dealings with their situations. It is wrong to put this film as a gay cinema because although it does explore homosexuality in growing teens with sensitivity, it is just another aspect of the film. That itself does not make the film.

Bo is a 15 year-old boy who finds himself smitten with Kim, who is younger and extremely handsome. Bo lives in boarding school with some other friends who all have some or the other individual stories going for them. Kim more than reciprocates Bo's interest and they eventually end up becoming good friends. Kim is the son of school principal. Aske puts the educational system in the limelight and leads the rest to discover why young people can think and do. Bo is a good friend who will always standup for his friends and their well-being. Kin enjoys small thing in life an dis generally a very happy boy. And finally we have Ole, who with his bully ways, he mends his life and comes to terms with the world.

The film portrays the boarding school atmosphere nicely. I felt that there were too many simultaneous stories going around in the film and it was very hard to focus on any one of them in particular. It was never explained why the town farmer boys did not like Bo and why were they always after harassing him. In the finale, as part of the class project to film 'Love thy neighbor', it is a beautifully wrought scene of Bo and Kim embracing and kissing in one of the more honest and sensitive moments on film. It is this scene that tells the viewers that you are not alone. The film was strictly ok for me. and by the way, what's up with all the weird hair that boys had in the film. Was late 70's so bad in fashion? It all looked like girls hairs. lol..

Although the characters were joy and natural, the fact that the story did not have anything concrete and comprehensive to offer slides its rating down. (4/10)

Comments

Pitbullshark said…
This was one of the first positive gay films that many guys ever saw in their lives. While now, living in Los Angeles in this present day, I can go to a gay film festival and watch gay films all day every day for ten days every year, plus watch many all year around, for this movie in 1970 when I didn't live in a major urban area, I had to drive for three hours to go to a larger city that was going to show this only ONCE at a special screening. So, this movie has a special place in very many gay guys' hearts. It's hard for the youth of today (for whom their freedoms were hard won by others who went before them) to understand the importance and meaning of something like this.

One scene in the film I will never forget, and that was when the precious beautiful blond boy was playing the piano and the older boy came in and stood there listening to and watching him. When the blond boy realized that someone was there, he turned and looked at him with such a huge, enthusiastic, loving smile. I had NEVER seen anything like that in a film before, a boy's obvious love for and attraction to another boy. I hoped that someday somebody would look at ME with that same kind of love. Alas, it never happened, and now I don't expect it ever will.
Golu said…
Your comments brought a smile to my face. I think you are right.. Today's youth (including me) will not understand and will never be able to relate to this movie , in the same way that you have in your comments.

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