Paris 05:59 / Théo & Hugo (2016)

The title characters in "Théo et Hugo dans le même bateau" meet in a dark room and connect instantly. Then they stroll the streets of early morning Paris together. From its raunchy, explicit beginning, this charming film evolves into a sweet and somber romance, echoing of Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise"-trilogy. Consequently, Théo's and Hugo's story comes across an unforgettable and ultimately very charming affair.

"Paris 05:59" tells a very realistic story of love between two men, Theo and Hugo. They meet in a sex club in Paris. This is the opening scene of the movie, and it is not for any prudes. And it isn't just a "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" scene. It lasts for 20 minutes and nothing is left to the imagination.The story really begins when the two lovers depart the club and on their way to someone's apartment, they realize one of them has had unprotected sex with a partner who is HIV-positive. The mere fact one of them insists they immediately go to be tested demonstrated (to me, at least) this was probably more than just a one-time tryst in a sex club. The movie delves deeper into how these two men actually feel about, well, everything. I have not seen a movie (probably since "Brokeback Mountain") that demonstrates so deeply the passion and love that can actually exist between two men. This movie is either not rated or is NC-17. There is EXPLICIT sexual activity in the first 20 minutes, and there is graphic nudity. There is also a love between two men that few films have dared to attempt to show. I loved it.

The problem, for my taste, is that the director does not know the ellipsis among other things that explain. Which makes it boring. Also, the beginning is so explicit that if it had been a movie between a man and a woman like that, everyone would have said, if it took so much sex and so explicit. I have plenty left.The encounter of them, I find very badly taken, takes me completely out of the film, it is not real. Like when they look directly at camera.When you walk on the street without talking, when you go on a bike, or inside a building without talking, do you need to see it? Is it essential to see them walk alone? Why was ellipsis invented? They are very well, both of them. And it's a very nice story, although I do not understand those moments of tone, things are spoken and that's it. They look like two really in love, they just met and will spend the rest of their lives together.He has a beautiful photograph, I take it that shooting at night has helped a lot.The direction, aside from the actors, is not a marvel. One of his tasks is not to bore and he does not get it, let alone the staging and the camera.In short, if I had not wasted so much useless time, even if it had been shorter the film would have gained many points. And being less explicit, as I ask any movie, it would have also improved.

The best scene of the film is definitely the opening scene, an explicit orgy in a basement backroom in an urban gay sex club that renders the platform for the two main characters to meet, and for us to become acquainted to them, at the most profound level. That same depth is never reached again throughout the rest of film. What we get are boring conversations like "what do you do?" "where are you from?" "I study so and so," etc, as they walk through some of Paris' ugliest streets. There are also a few loose references to classical French authors to fill the intellectualism quota, as well as some nuggets of dubious political propaganda. The two characters do not connect on any level, other than sex. And one notices. The dialogue is uninteresting. I am alright with cinema verité, but one has to manage to keep the viewer engaged. It didn't succeed.