Absent (2011)

I have just finished watching Marco Berger's "Ausente", and in spite of the Teddy award it won at the Berlin International Film Festival as Best Film with LGBT topic, I confess that all the enthusiasm that I felt when I saw "Plan B" vanished. All the freshness and sensuality of Berger's first motion picture, with actors who seemed to be improvising scenes and lines (or maybe they were really doing it) to give us a sincere reflection on how to reach honest acceptance of our homo-erotic feelings, was here replaced by a flow of contrived, too coldly calculated movements, to create a melodrama (not in the best tango tradition, but more in a soapy middle class mold) which is often more corny than moving. The story of a professor's harassment by his adolescent student, who is trying to seduce his teacher with lies, is slowly displaced by a subplot that pays too much attention to public opinion, prejudice, fear and slander, that is probably more in the mind of the instructor, who in the end is not as transparent as he had thought. Although Berger still favors setting up his camera at the level of men's crotches in underwear while lying in bed, this time those shots seem tamed as he was too much assimilated (perhaps far too much) by the discreet charm of the Argentinean film industry and its frequent pomp (careful, I do not mean the other Argentinean cinema, so independent and liberating- and without Ricardo Darín in the leading role, of course!), with sugary music that even includes a little female voice doing "Aaahhh's" Both Carlos Echevarría as the professor and Javier de Pietro as the student are good, given the material they had to work with.

I don't know what's worst: the casting, the acting or the pointless story.I have watched Marco Berger's Hawaii, his two short stories and Plan B. In that order, so I have watched enough to know that in his works there are always obligatory shots of men's crutches and long quiet scenes...it works in everyone but "The clock" (his first work). So I knew this one was going to have that but I was not expecting terrible actors with no chemistry whatsoever and that includes the secondary actors (terrible teachers) and the insufferable girlfriend. Am I suppose to think the couple love each other? There is no real connection between the actors. And don't get me start about Martin. Am I suppose to root for this lying manipulative tool? Because I don't care about him and his terrible lessons about butterflies (that was painful to watch). I guess the moral of the story is indulge yourself and give the teenage psycho what he wants instead of acting like an adult...what was Sebastian supposed to be sorry for? The only stupid thing he did was being stupid enough not to see that kid was (poorly) lying all along.

1. Quiet: This is one of the quietest gay theme I've seen so far. Two lead actors, Carlos Echevarría and Javier De Pietro pretty well fit it. But, their feeling and character delivered well by good acting, cinematography, and of course music.2. Love: Interesting that director and also writer (Marco Berger) share point of view about love between adult and teenager, son and father, underling and boss, employee and director, student and teacher. There is always a gap between that two degrees. Marco Berger choose to combine that two degrees by growing love between student and his sport teacher. I guess everyone ever had some crush to their teacher but the tricky point, not everyone, just a few who dared taking chances step the line and take actions to get to know their teacher in very close way. The extreme part, to make love with their teacher. There are differences between crush and love. But, what I see in this film more than just crush. I guess Martín already know his teacher Sebastián far from just become his sport teacher. That's why he was taking chances to get to know his teacher closely by lying.3. The Truth: Being lying there are always consequences. The fact that Sebastián was straight and he sense something "wrong" with Martín, he made some wall to keep him stay away from Martín. The truth end up tragic. Sebastián loose control and beat Martín because he cannot accept that facts that Martín lying to him and abuse his trust and kindness. Martín fall apart but hold himself to keep it up and prevent Sebastián being fired from school. 4. Forgiveness: I think there is no connection between Martín accident to his "break up" with Sebastián. Just a big coincidence. A very big coincidence. Sometimes, accident happen, but death is always the worst part. Sebastián turn to fall apart. Martín absence was killing him form inside. He take some of it as his fault. He break school's swimming pool window and drinking. His mind trying to cope that situation by imaginary of Martín still alive. He was sorry and Martín just smile. It was enough for him.Addition, I don't think that event turn Sebastián become gay. After all, he is trying not be ignorance man anymore.

I have never ever seen such a long scene of sexual tension built up as it was shown in this movie. And at the same time, I have never been in a theatre with such pin drop silence because there are no scenes that evoke laughter. You are just waiting and watching as to whats going to happen next. I dunno if it is right to call this film as a thriller but there is a different thrill that you feel while watching the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it.16 year old Martin finds his swimming instructor Sebastian very attractive. One day he fakes of an eye injury in the class, and Sebastian take him to the hospital. Martin has already planned in his mind a web of lies for why he cannot go back home and finally succeeds in getting an invitation from Sebastian to sleep at his house. But thing are not simple as they seem. The night seems pretty long where neither of them is able to sleep really well. Sebastian next day finds out that Martin's parents were looking for him all night. He also finds a note in his car from Martin apologizing for telling him the lies. When Sebastian confronts him, he very openly tells him that he was hoping something will happen between them that night. This infuriates Sebastian and he hits him. Things are not same. Now Sebastian is having weird feelings and he cannot even concentrate on his girlfriend. He keeps thinking of Martin. Martin meanwhile stops coming to swimming class and is spending more time with his friends. In an unfortunate accident Martin dies and this is when Sebastian has to deal with his emotions. He recalls how maybe on some occasions he might have possibly given the boy some hints and starts questioning his own feelings for the boy. Guilt struck, he is now hoping that somehow Martin will forgive him for what he did.You have to really watch the film to closely absorb the beauty. The entire night sequence where Martin stays at Sebastian's house and events unfold is simply superb. There is so much sexual tension on the screen that as a viewer it was a completely new experience for me trying to anticipate what can happen next. Another beauty of the film is that there is no heightened drama or dialogues or anything. None of the scenes have been filmed with melodrama, however drastic they are. The subtlety of these scene make a much more stronger impact. The end is so beautiful when Sebastian follows the image of Martin in his head in the swimming club just hoping to be forgiven. Excellent acting and a fantastic direction. It is an incredible sexy drama of repressed passion, guilt and regret. The slow build of the characters is fabulous with the relationships unfolding, refolding and unfolding back again.Strongly recommended. Whenever there is something new, I just have to lap it up