Sasha

By: just a reviewer

........or is that Shakespeare?

Here's my "Brief-Take" on this 2010 production from Germany:

-- Hiding under this movie's fairly tumultuous family tale is a: "Not-much-screen-time, guy/guy love story." Strangely, it's a work quite similar to 2002's Spanish / German production, "Food of Love." Both films involve a young concert pianist-in-training (Sasha / Paul) and his male, concert piano performer / teacher. While there are "falling in love" similarities, here are some DIFFERENCES---The older film's clingy, near-neurotic and more self-serving mother vs. this film's selflessly supportive....but sometimes pushy one. 2002's pretty much out of the picture father vs. Sasha's boorish, know it all example of what fatherhood should NOT be (despite an end of film attempt to resurrect this s---head of a man). Oh, and thrown into "Sasha's" film mix is a sometimes funny uncle and a sometimes supportive / sometimes jealously competitive younger brother. In other words, we're given a family of characters this viewer considers as receiving way too much screen time.....and little of the title character trying to find his way in love and life (Hey, this is a film simply titled "Sasha".....is it not?). While "Food of Love" is a film shot in a much more technically accomplished manner, and its characters occupying the opposite social class from those inhabiting our 2010 production, what it lacks, bigtime, is an actor with presence in the lead role.....one we see Grow his character (Sasha's portrayer acts circles around his counterpart in the older film).

-- Despite any other negatives associated with the production, know this: The actor (Sascha Kekez) portraying "Sasha" quickly finds his way into our hearts......and we readily accept him. Unlike other aspects of the film, this young man easily deserves an 3.5--Star rating on his own (I predict a bright future).

-- Love scene-wise, we are given Hot--Hot kissing shots. Yet.....bed scene-wise, you'll see only above-the-briefs nudity and more of the Hot kissing. Lack of full body nudity seems strange, coming from these sexually open countries.

-- Color and lighting cinematography are sometimes a problem.....with overbright shots and a few near-monotone color scenes intruding on what is otherwise a fairly well camera-managed production.

-- Lastly.....and most importantly, your reviewer just has to ask this about the closing scene: What "Just out of the closet Newbie.....Canoeing on the local river and just spotting a certain someone's 'interesting' Ex-partner (who, himself, keeps looking).....Is going to very soon be revisiting the area's indoor swimming pool?"

-- Happy Trolling, Sasha!!

PS--Have fun, Viewers, with an initial scene set in a......Magazine Shop (that's right, you got it.....think 1996's "Beautiful Thing"). BUT....this shot's funnier!

By: Marty

By: Amos Lassen

"Sasha"
The Struggle to Be
Amos Lassen

We know very little about gay life in Eastern Europe but in "Sasha" we learn that homophobia exists there as well and it is especially sad when one is subjected to it in his own family. Dennis Todorovic has directed a film about Sasha (Sascha Kekez), a young gay pianist who is to deal with his family that does not accept his homosexuality. Set in Germany, Sasha's family moved there from Yugoslavia and Sasha has fallen in love with his piano teacher, Gebhard Weber. When Weber tells him that he is leaving town, it breaks his student's heart and Sasha tells his best friend, Jiao about the way he feels. Sasha's father does not know the extent of the friendship between the two and things get even more out-of-hand when Sasha's brother becomes involved romantically with Jiao.
Sasha's mother is sure that her son will become a great concert pianist and she goads him into auditioning for the music academy in Cologne. He works hard with Weber (Tim Bergmann) and he realizes that he is in love with him and feels lost when Weber tells him that he is moving to Vienna. Sasha's best friend Jiao (Yvonne Yung Hee) is the daughter of a Chinese immigrant family and she too is being urged by her father to study violin and like Sasha she tries to please her parents. She has a crush on Sasha and when he comes out to her, she is heartbroken.
Both sets of parents want the best for their children and want them to have the opportunities that they missed out on. (Here is the same story most of us grew up with). Both families are immigrant families and they live in the lower middle class. Something they do not want their children to have to endure. The parents are unhappy with the way the live so they pin hopes on their children to have better lives.
This is a film that is sensitive and touching and looks at homophobia but also deals with immigration, the generation gap and the clash of cultures. However more than anything else, "Sasha" shows that communication is the most important thing in live and without it there is nothing. There are several beautiful scenes here performed by a capable cast and they deal with issues that many of us face.