It's okay

After the last scene of this movie, my first feeling was: an interesting gay-themed feel-good story, but too farfetched and unrealistic! Until a closing text proved me totally wrong: it's based on true events, both original main characters are still happily married, and before the closing credits they even showed a picture of this unlikely but radiant couple on their wedding day! It's already a fascinating story as it is, without the hindsight knowledge. In the Austrian army, at the end of the 90's, being gay is not so much a taboo, but still considered to be less masculine and the focus of ridicule. It's hard enough for young gay recruit Falak to hold his own, but his superior, closeted major Eismayer, has to hide himself behind a mask of extreme sterness, all the time raging and shouting, and bullying all his inferiors. Gradually however a surprising secret love-affair between the two unfolds. What remains as a major barrier, is the fear of Eismayer to out himself to his army-unit. I guess the story is here and there slightly romanticized for the sake of the movie and the entertainment value. For who's interested: on wikipedia you can find some really enlightening background material, among other things an extensive article in an Austrian newspaper, dated 2014, with an interview with both men on account of their recent marriage. This article was by the way the source that triggered director David Wagner's interest in making this film. The settings in the army barracks, the military drills and the field exercises are totally authentic (thanks to the support of the Austrian state army), and both main actors Gerhard Liebmann and Luka Dimic do a great job, especially Liebmann's part as the raging Eismayer must have been a real tour de force. Cinematographically this movie may be not very inventive or impressive; but as a well acted, uplifting story of how love can blossom even in the most unexpected circumstances it's totally rewarding!

The once-controversial topic of gays in the military has settled down somewhat from its flashpoint status years ago (even if it's not yet everything that members of the LGBTQ+ community would like it to be). But, in the not-too-distant past, it was still a hot button topic, one that made life difficult for those in the military, especially for those in relationships who served together, despite guaranteed provisions against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Those are among the challenges addressed in writer-director David Wagner's third feature outing, a fact-based tale about a closeted (and married) tough-as-nails Austrian military drill sergeant (Gerhard Liebmann) who clandestinely falls for an out-and-proud recruit (Luka Dimic). While the story and sentiments are truly touching, the overall execution, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired. Perhaps the biggest problem here is the screenplay, which is loaded with developments that unfold at an unrealistically fast pace, creating awkward transitions and, consequently, diminishing the picture's credibility. The effect of that is pacing that comes across as needlessly rushed, something that could have been resolved by simply taking a little more time to allow the narrative to develop, especially given the film's comparatively short 1:27:00 runtime. The character development feels exaggerated at times, too, with the sergeant vacillating wildly between over-the-top beast and tender loving partner and with the recruit appearing as a little too defiant and flamboyant to be convincing. And then there's the cinematography, which at times is so dark that it's virtually impossible for viewers to discern what's going on, particularly in an initial intimate sequence that's about as murky as the ocean floor. It's regrettable that this offering gets so much wrong, because it's a heartfelt story that deserves a more effective telling. There's a lot to be said for sharing a touching tale such as this, but the least its creators can do is tell it with earnest believability, something that's largely absent here.

It's hard to find shows with gay male leads and storylines. So when I came across this film; my attitude was I settle for this . It didn't look like much. It's an indie film, looks low budget, but the characters and storyline kept me glued to the movie. In fact I'd watch it again. During the climax of the movie is where I could not stop smiling. There's just something indescribably beautiful about the characters the actors and storyline . Gay love is amazing and beautiful and so were these two. And it's based off of a true story of the two men who are actually still enlisted active duty to this day. I hope there's more films for us gay men in the future .

I approached this film with some trepidation due to the setting in the army, something I'm not usually keen on watching. I needn't have feared. Army life was an integral part of the film, just as the burgeoning fascination of Charles Eismayer and Mario Falak with each other was. This was based on a real-life romance although I don't know how much was fictionalised. Swarthy Luka Dimic playing Mario would be enough to melt anyone's heart. He did a great job, at his real age of 36, of portraying a much younger recruit. Gerhard Liebmann plays a wonderful rôle of playing the buttoned-up, closeted sergeant major. As the story unfolds via a lovemaking scene of exquisite tenderness and passion (my goodness, Dimic's lips) we reach the inevitable conclusion. The photo of the real couple shown at the end is a good finishing touch. For those who ask what a hunky youth sees in a far older martinet, well, there are many such relationships in both the gay and straight worlds. True love knows no age boundaries. My soul mate is thirty five years younger than me! This film should appeal not only to niche audiences but to a wider public accepting of the revolution in morality that has taken place over the past few decades. A definite recommend.

I appreciate the honest perspective about a profound sensitive theme. The good performances, to. And, not the last, the message. A simple story of a seargent, tough, correct, brutal, in many occasions, good father and reasonable husband and the root of his behavior. A young, Yougoslavian man, recruit in Austrian Army Forces. Their conflicts, connection, secret. Few admitrable to touching scenes. And beautiful way to not become victim of cliches. Not the best film about this theme, but great for correct manner to use each detail as piece placed, in precise manner, to the fair place. A virtue - the well use of suggestions as explanations for behavior of characters. And the ruined building in winter, remindig Andrei Tarkovski universe. So, I like it can sounds strange. The respect for just a well crafted film is more normal. And for inspired acting.

When I first read the synopsis of 'Eismayer', I thought "god, is it going to be another 'The Sergent (1968)' or 'Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)'?". But thank god, time's changed. I've been living in West Europe as an immigrant for barely about 15 years, and couldn't know it first hand like the locals - but I've seen how much has changed within those decade and and a half alone regarding gay rights and overall acceptance of different sexualities. In that context, older Charlie's fear and self-hate about his sexuality is just as real as younger Mario's 'I'm here, I'm queer' attitude. But in the end, we see it's the Mario's generation and their attitude that is the future. Their happy ending feels dearer because it is not any more a secret in the closet or a lonely fight against the world. Come out and embrace your love, and people will be be happy for you. 'Eismayer' is pretty much a conventional drama, not an artistic marvel. But it's well made, well acted and down-to-earth. Recommended.

Some films are frustrating because the director lingers on every scene for too long after making their point. This film has the opposite problem: too much is left unsaid/unexplained. Dramatic scenes are cut short and the plot moves on with the viewer wondering exactly what happened. For example: we get very little of Eismayer's backstory, which would have helped us to understand why he was so macho despite being a fitness fanatic and having cancer, why does Eismayer smoke so much? And how does he survive? why was Falak so afraid to cross the bridge and what exactly happened when they both fell in the water? how and when did Eismayer fall in love with Falak? what did Falak see in a much older guy who displays almost no kindness or tenderness (except toward his son)? how did the wife deal with her husband finally admitting he was gay? what was the repeated scene of the abandoned building in winter meant to symbolise/represent? Maybe there were lots of subtle signs that I missed (please don't shoot me) but, most importantly, the overall effect on me was that the romance seemed to come out of nowhere and develop very quickly, for reasons that were hard to understand. Nevertheless, I thought the film was well-acted and well-made. The crowd-pleasing happy ending is well done and not over-done. Still, the film could have been a much more in-depth character study of the two men and the relationship between them.

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