Eighteen-year-old Mathieu (Jeremie Elkaim) is forced to endure the annual family holiday by the sea, but this year there’s a new distraction with the arrival of the brooding, handsome Cedric (Stephane Rideau). In one of the very sexiest gay features in years, director Sebastien Lifshitz explores the first stirrings of desire and the development of a passionate gay relationship that’s dark and complex. Surprising his audience with both exhilarating visual storytelling and graphic representations of gay sex, Lifshitz has created a film that is provocative and rewarding in equal measure. There are stand-out performances from the two leads, especially gay heartthrob Stephane Rideau of Wild Reeds and Sitcom.

France/Belgium, 2000.
English subtitles.
Colour.
Dolby stereo.
100 mins.