Boy Meets Boy

By: Dan9

By: Amos Lassen

"BOY MEETS BOY"

Opening Up

Amos Lassen

Junior doctor Harry (Matthew James Morrison) is in Berlin for a weekend break and meets Johannes (Alexis Koutsoulis), just as his weekend of dancing and casual sexual encounters is coming to an end. With hours left before his flight home, Johannes agrees to show Harry the sights of Berlin as the two men open up to each other about their lives, loves and relationships.

"Boy Meets Boy" chronicles the potential lovers as they take in the atmosphere of the city and debate about everything from the benefits of finding sex on Grindr and Tinder and whether Eurovision is "gay revenge for the World Cup". The two build a real connection that neither is used to. Harry has been looking for his calling in life and used to finding happiness through casual sex. He has prepared himself for not wanting to have sex with the same person more than once. Johannes believes in the power of forming a bond with another in a traditional relationship.

The topics that the two men talk about are both insignificant and important and this leads them to better understand each other while at the same time deciding if their connection could lead to something more than their short time together allows. Directed and co-written (along with Hannah Renton) by Daniel Sanchez Lopez, we see two, often opposing, viewpoints of the young men, their cynicism and prejudices laid as they reveal how they both think they should be finding their ways in terms of modern queer relationships. Both actors are excellent in their roles and have great chemistry with each other.

The film doesn't ignore the harsh realities of modern love, sex and relationships and is frank and often emotionally raw film..

When Harry realizes that he has been partying for 48 hours and has just 15 hours left until his flight home to London and he still hasn't seen Berlin. Johannes who is both carefree and careless offers to show him the city and help him print his boarding pass. They spend the day together wandering through the city and talking about their lives, values and truths. They make a deep in just 15 hours.

The script is filled with wit and wisdom. What begins as a fleeting romance becomes intellectual and challenges the changing concepts of relationships in modern society. Romance is modernized making the film relevant.