• ALL
  • NEWS
    • GAY MOVIE/ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
    • GAY FILM TRAILERS
    • GENERAL MOVIE NEWS & TRAILERS
  • GAY SHORTS & SERIES
  • REVIEWS
    • GAY FILM REVIEWS
    • CINEMA REVIEWS
    • DVD & BLU-RAY REVIEWS
  • BGPS BLOG
  • COMPS
  • ABOUT
    • Contact Us
    • Join The Team
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Gays On Film – A Short History

Big Gay Picture Show

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more

Hawaii (DVD Review)

June 23, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Starring: Manuel Vignau, Mateo Chiarino
Director: Marco Berger
Running Time: 102 mins
Certificate: 15
Release Date: June 23rd 2014 (UK)

Marco Berger has made a bit of a name for himself in the indie queer cinema world with the likes of Plan B and the Berlin Golden Teddy Award winning Absent. He also directed half of the shorts that made up the collection Sexual Tension: Volatile. Each of those shorts featured two guys negotiating the edge of attraction as it perhaps built towards a sexual release.

In many respects Hawaii takes the idea behind that anthology and expands it into a feature-length movie.

Martin (Mateo Chiarino) is a young man who has fallen on hard times. While he’d hoped to stay with his aunt near his childhood home, he can’t and so ends up living rough. While going around looking for odd jobs he stumbles upon the home of Eugenio (Mateo Chiarino), who agrees to give him a few things to do. They also soon realise they were once friends when they were young children.

Over the course of the summer the men grow closer, especially after Eugenio discovers Martin is sleeping outside and so invites him to stay at his home. However, while Eugenio knows he is attracted to Martin, he is unsure whether the other man might feel the same way, and if Martin did reciprocate whether he would only be doing it because he feels in Eugenio’s debt.

Hawaii is a well-made and interesting movie with relatively little dialogue. Instead it relies on looks, movement and gesture as the men’s relationship builds. It’s a strategy that means it’s left up to the viewer to interpret what they’re seeing – is Eugenio’s interest in Martin based on genuinely wanting to help him, or is there a slightly creepy, almost exploitive side to what he’s doing? Is Martin interested in Eugenio sexually, and if he is, is it something he’s consciously aware of from the beginning?

However, the fact not a huge amount happens for long period of time mean that if you’re not prepared to engage with the film and its characters, you’ll probably find it long, slow and boring, with the only moments of interest being when the sexual tension between the men starts to rise to a fever pitch. If you do engage though, the film has a lot to offer. The interplay between the characters is intriguing – even if it is often silent – with the movie becoming almost as much about the power dynamic between the men and its possible imbalance as it is about the increasingly close relationship between them.

Hawaii is not perfect and there are definitely moments that feel unnecessary or a little indulgent, and it could have been cut by about 10 minute without losing too much, but nevertheless it works and is yet more evidence that Marco Berger is one of the most interesting directors working in gay-themed cinema today.

Overall Verdict: It may not be the fastest, most plot-filled movie out there, if you’re prepared to engage with the characters and what the tension growing between them means, it’s well worth watching.

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

Wanna share?:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Flipboard
  • More
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • WhatsApp

Overall Rating 7outof10

Related

Filed Under: GAY FILM REVIEWS, Top Posts

Leave a Reply (if comment does not appear immediately, it may have been held for moderation) Cancel reply

Search this site:

We're Needy, Be Our Friend

RSSTwitterFacebookStumbleUponMySpace

E-maily Stuff

Get the latest in our daily e-mail

Most Recent Posts

Young Hunter Trailer – First teen gay love takes a dark turn into blackmail

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Trailer – The hit gay, drag West End musical is coming to the screen

Iris Prize Festival LGBT+ International Short Films 2020 – Part 3 (Short Film Reviews)

Iris Prize Festival LGBT+ International Short Films 2020 – Part 2 (Short Film Reviews)

Iris Prize Festival LGBT+ International Short Films 2020 – Part 1 (Short Film Reviews)

The Scottish Queer International Film Festival 2020 Has Opened, & It’s Online Across The UK

The Iris Prize LGBT Short Film Festival Returns Next Week, & It’s Online & Free!

An Apology From Big Gay Picture Show

Win The Miseducation of Cameron Post DVD & Book!

Seventeen Trailer – The vagaries of teen romance erupt in the lesbian-themed film

My Best Friend Trailer – Gay romance flickers between two teen boys

New Sauvage Trailer – The gay prostitute movie that divided Cannes is coming soon

Copyright © 2023 Muser Media · Powered by WordPress & Genesis Framework · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're OK with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT