Rent Blurred Lines (2021)
3.2 of 5 from 63 ratings
1h 32min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Janik (Emil von Schönfels) and Samuel (Mekyas Mulugeta) are extremely dose best friends celebrating the end of their senior year of high school. Both come from completely different worlds, Janik's parents are seemingly perfect, while Samuel comes from a broken home. In turn, Samuel is looking for stability. Janik just wants to rebel. Sex and sexuality are never far from the surface for both, which leads to one impulsive moment that could threaten their friendship forever. In an attempt to rekindle their relationship, the boys set off on a trip to Istanbul, but the blurred line that has been crossed proves hard to re-establish. A thoroughly modern take on the bonds that develop between young men, 'Blurred Lines' is an unapologetically homoerotic study of profound male friendship. - Actors:
- Emil von Schönfels, Mekyas Mulugeta, Katharina Behrens, Nicole Marischka, Godehard Giese, Luissa Cara Hansen, Isabella Bartdorff, Adnan Devran, Ogulcan Arman Uslu
- Directors:
- Ilker Çatak
- Producers:
- Martin Heisler, Gabriele Simon
- Writers:
- Finn-Ole Heinrich, Gabriele Simon
- Aka:
- Räuberhände / Stambul Garden
- Studio:
- TLA
- Genres:
- Drama, Lesbian & Gay
- Countries:
- Germany
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Reviews (1) of Blurred Lines
Soapy, German, Meandering Coming-of-age Travelogue Tale from a Young Adult Novel STAMBUL GARDEN - Blurred Lines review by PV
The more usual name for this film is STAMBUL GARDEN which is the name of the Young Adult Novel it is adapted from, by the author Finn-Ole Heinrich and another.
It is very soapy, really, a bit Hollyoaks or similar, with 18 year old characters ending school and pondering their futures.
What lets this down is a need to be gratuitous re sexual imagery - GRATUITOUS is the word. Many movies/TV drama now do this, show male nudity, includng arouses prosthetics - it is unnecessary and exploitative, The female equivalent would be sticking a camera between a woman's legs when she is naked and aroused. Never see that on film so why the need for this? #Metoo? Well stuff #metoo then, it is nothing but sexist abuse.
I am no prude at all, and do not mind ANY sexual imagery when the film/story requires it. This, however, is just exploitation and male nudity for its own sake, MAYBE if they balanced with an aroused female between the legs shot it would at least represent gender equality...
Without these unnecessary scenes, this could have passed for 15 or under and thus reached its target audience of teenagers.
The Turkish/ethnic/Istanbul theme ticks the usual ethnoboxes of woke, SO many children's and young adult books and films do the same now. But as this is German, with a huge Turkish population, that makes it unusual, for UK audiences anyway.
It becomes a travelogue really, a road movie in a way, an adventure abroad - like the INBETWEENERS but not funny.
One big issue for me is I did not believe the events portrayed OR the characters' reactions to them.
The subtitles also got stuck/jammed at one point, an issue I solved by rewinding a playing again, but it should not happen.
anyway, cut the gratuitous misandrist smut and end the film well, structure it better, and it could be 4 stars.
As it is 2.5 stars rounded up.
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