tlavideo.com

Amos Lassen wrote on 02/21/2011:

“SUMMER STORM”
Coming of Age with Style
Amos Lassen
There is something about coming of age stories. Writers and filmmakers love the topic and readers and viewers love to see it. Perhaps this is because we all have had interesting experiences during what could be the hardest period of our lives. “Summer Storm” (Here TV! and Genius Entertainment) is one of the best coming of age movies I have ever seen.
Out on DVD this week, September 5, this German film is an explicit film that deals with sexual awakening among high school kids and how they come to terms with it.
Tod (Robert Stanlober) and Achim (Kostja Ullman) are best friends who love to wrestle naked and masturbate together. Achim has no idea that Tod is interested in him sexually and even when Tod has an erection during play, Achim seems not to realize that what has caused it is sexual desire. When Tod realizes that Achim does not share his feelings, he feels the burden of heterosexuality weighing heavily upon him and he knows that he cannot pretend to be what he is not. When the news that Tod is gay reaches his friends, a barrier comes up between himself and his teammates who have come to camp to perfect their rowing skills.
This is an amazing depiction of the homosexuality of youth. The movie is powerful and emotional. The musical score and outstanding photography make “Summer Storm: a fest for the eyes and ears. The film faithfully depicts “the summer when everything changed”.
I must admit that the idea of watching another movie about something that we have seen so many times made me quite hesitant about seeing this movie. These kinds of movies, with the exception of “A Beautiful Thing”, tend to focus on the young and the beautiful. But as I watched it, I realized that the same old story was being presented in a new way. Even though we can identify with the pain which Tod suffers we are relieved by moments of humor. The love scene on the pier is beautiful and tender and exquisitely filmed; it is pure and innocent and may cause your heat to flutter a bit. And we have all experienced that crush on a straight friend and the fantasies that went along with that hidden desire.
The acting is outstanding and the script provokes thought and remembrance. It is a story of growth and knowing oneself. There is no great insight and the story is quite heavy and “didactic”, even with the heaviness, it is a wonderful movie about that awkward age when we thought that we were alone in the world.

Janorm wrote on 03/16/2008:

How come only the Europeans can make have way decent young gay movies?? This another film that is so utterly charming yet so true to real life that it hits home to a good 90% of us gays! The incidents protrayed in this story line can be found any where in the western world! A definite item to be added to your Collection. Ye Gods!! DE JA VU!!!

yes! wrote on 11/27/2006:

good story from start to the end... keep you smiling afterward...

just a reviewer wrote on 09/19/2006:

((1)). Cute......caring......and collected (at one with himself), Leo so knows who he is (and where Tobi's coming from). T. is so.....lucky to have Leo for his 'first-time'. And speaking of that, this film gives us a "my-first-time" gay love scene which tops all others in the lengths to which it goes......at least in a movie with youth-oriented characters. It's tender and caring at the same time it's feverish and arousing. ((2)). And while Tobi and Achim's relationship has probably been a life-long one of fun and childhood loving/caring for one another, things begin to go terribly wrong when "another kind of love" starts rearing up, as part of growing up. We come to see that Achim is too free and easy (with his feelings) to be a friend to someone who's now discovering he is gay and in love. Achim, of course, is not be blamed for being who he's been all along. It's just that so much of who he is becomes misinterpreted by Tobi.((3)). PS--Director Marco Kreuzpaintner sure gets the "teen angst" thing right, pulling an awful lot of it out of his young cast. But, then, at 25 or so when shooting, he's only about 5 years older than they. Looking at his bio-pic on IMDb.com, it's easy to see how he, himself, could have handily assumed one of these attractive young player's roles.

Steve wrote on 09/08/2006:

I would agree that this is one of the better coming out films of late. The pain of Tobi's love for his best friend is wonderfully portrayed and often heartbreaking to viewers. However, the film is not ideal. Tobi is essentially a selfish character (as pointed out by another rower) and that never changes. He does not ever apologize for the hurt his emotions and deeds cause. This makes him less than sympathetic at times (but no less honest a figure). Rather than follow revelations with scenes full of wonderful dramatic conversation, the camera cuts away and time passes. This prevents Summer Storm from being one of better gay films. Lastly, several scenic shots are made that feel heavy-handed rather than symbolic. Still, with all its faults, I do not regret keeping this film on my shelf.