Hawaii

By: Raymond Murray
In-House Review - Jul 19 2013

If you are looking for a wild sex romp comedy, you might want to skip Hawaii. But if you loved Plan B, Absent or Sexual Tension: Volatile, Argentinean filmmaker Marco Berger's previous explorations into sexual confusion amidst hitherto heterosexual young men, keep reading! Set in the Argentinean countryside during one hot, humid summer, this drama percolates with sexual tension and lustful longing.

Former childhood friends Martin and Eugenio meet up again as young adults at Eugenio's lakeside family home. There, amidst the languid summer days and nights, the two get reacquainted and each becomes more sexually aware and interested in the other.

Who makes the first move? And should they even go there? With furtive glances, the two dance around the sex-drenched atmosphere ? often shirtless or naked. Neither, though, can seemingly overcome their insecurities to reach out for love.

Marco Berger is a young master at wringing the pent-up desires of "straight" men. There is plenty of evidence in his previous features, but Hawaii is a particularly amazing example of his talents. Have a towel ready before you watch it. You are bound to break a sweat!

Oh, and why is it called, Hawaii? You got me!

By: gbelly

By: digdancd

This film is quite the bore. Hence the definition of a sleeper! The DVD lists English subtitles, but there are NO subtitles to be had on this turkey! If you can't understand Spanish, stay clear! The interplay between these two characters is about as inducing as watching grass grow. Can't believe that Marco Berger put this yawner out!

By: FTLbear

By: chromoman

I'm giving this film 4 stars, but I realize that it is not a film for everyone. It moves very, very slowly. The plot is minimal, as we watch two men, once childhood acquaintances, getting to know one another again. There are long stretches with minimal ? or sometimes no ? dialogue. The two men share a hot Argentinean summer, with one of them sometimes working on his novel as the other does repairs around the country house and its rambling rural property, and occasionally cooling off in the swimming pool or in the nearby river. There are plenty of scenes of these two (not unattractive) shirtless, sweaty men as they each seem to try to come to grips with a growing degree of unacknowledged sexual tension. Both the men and the lush scenery are visually appealing throughout. The tension slowly builds to its climactic point, and -- to the director's credit -- the resolution of the "will they or won't they" question does not get instantly resolved with a simple foregone conclusion, giving the viewer one's own sense of this tension.
If you are in need of an action-packed plot or of torrid sex scenes, then this is not the film for you. But if you have the patience to watch this slow redevelopment of a relationship, you will be sweetly rewarded.

By: Sluggo

Another instant classic from Marco Berger. The quiet, slowly unfolding relationship between Manuel Vignau's Eugenio and Mateo Chiarino's Martin is lovely to behold. The film is suffused with erotic tension, but it's never overplayed and never crassly overt. I know I'll watch this gem over and over again. Kudos to Berger, Vignau and Chiarino. 5 ananas from me too!

By: pob

This is the most refined of his films that I have seen. To choose to explore the same theme repeatedly in several films seems to have paid off. It's refreshing to watch something that is in no way gratuitous yet still very sexy, and It's just so damn sweet that I had a little cry.

By: Amos Lassen

Marco Berger who has already heated up our DVD players with "Sexual Tension: Volatile" and "Plan B" has another new hot film out, "Hawaii". Set in the countryside of Argentina, we meet Martin, a young man looking for temporary summer employment at Eugenio's house. The two young men were childhood friends and Eugenio gives him a job. Soon they are sexually attracted to each other and what was once friendship soon grows into something very special. Berger is known for the tension he creates in his films and we certainly feel that here as desire and the quest for power rises to the top while the guys explore each other sexually.

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Berger not only explores sexuality but also power, helplessness, social boundaries, brotherhood, desire and love. He does this by creating tension between the two main characters as they deal with the Argentinean heat and each the feelings they share. Becoming reacquainted here involves sexual awareness and mutual interests. Most of us have experienced what Martin and Eugenio go through but not perhaps to the same extent. Looking at the issues of first time encounters, I was reminded of those early days when I was exploring my own sexuality-who makes the first move? Should I even try? I remembered that period of time when I felt particularly interested in someone but could not look into their eyes (fearing rejection, perhaps?) yet at the same time feeling extreme lust for the other person. It is youthful insecurity that makes this film so interesting.

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I never thought about meetings like this to be power trips but after watching the film, I became aware about that feeling when one person waits for the other to make the first move or say the right thing. Here the entire film is carried by Martin and Eugenio, the only two characters yet they totally fill the screen and leave us with something to think about. The relationship that they begin unfortunately has nowhere to go because of social differences that have existed between them since they were children. This is, in effect, not just a story of youthful lust and desire but a modern story about the importance of social class much like the theme Jane Austen used in her novels.

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The film is exceedingly sexy and the young men who are only partially clad are a pleasure to watch even with the uneasiness we feel watching them. Even with the insecurities they feel about each other, Berger has managed to create an atmosphere that is thick with sexual innuendos. Berger is quickly becoming the director to watch as one who deals with desires that are unspoken. (By the way, the film has nothing to do with Hawaii unless it is being used to represent an erotic climate where anything can happen).