At the gay film night organised by our partner Edition Salzgeber there is a top-quality gay film in numerous cities every month. In March, the multicultural comedy "Sascha" is on the programme: a 19-year-old from a migrant background falls in love with a man 20 years his senior, which doesn't please his parents at all. Hilarious!
"Sascha" is an extremely successful and thoroughly enjoyable comedy. Actually. But directorial debutant Denis Todorovic wants much more: he wants to tell a light-hearted story about the lives of the first and second generation of migrants in Germany. And a not-so-easy coming out. He also succeeds in both of these things. And that makes "Sascha" an utterly remarkable little film.
The story is set in Cologne's multicultural Eigelstein neighbourhood. The title character's mother is called Stanka and comes from Zagreb. Sascha's father Vlado comes from Montenegro. His younger brother Boris and his shirt-sleeved, quirky uncle Pero are also part of the household. Then there is Jiao, who is deeply in love with Sascha and whom he uses to distract everyone around him from the fact that he likes boys.
None of these people is the most important person in Sascha's life. His name is Gebhard Weber, he is a piano teacher and Sascha's secret first love.
When Gebhard announces that he wants to leave Cologne - and therefore Sascha too - because of a job offer, the 19-year-old first fails his entrance exam for the conservatory and then, after a first time with Gebhard that went wrong, overcomes himself to come out.
But gays don't fit in with his father's image of men, who pulls out a gun after Sascha's confession and accidentally shoots someone. This earns him several months in prison. After that, nothing in the small family is as it was before: Sascha's parents separate in a touching scene and Dad first accepts who he is and then who his son is.
Todorovic's first film inspires with great actors, a full dose of masculinity in all its shades, a wonderful soundtrack and Tim Bergmann (the cute car mechanic from "Echte Kerle") in his first gay role in 15 years.
When the lights go up in the cinema after 102 minutes, you have often laughed, maybe cried a little and learned a lot. Festival visitors around the world have already found this wonderful. Now German audiences also have the opportunity to get to know Sascha.
(pasch)
"Sascha" (Germany 2010) will be shown on 18 and 21 March during the Gay Film Night in many cinemas throughout Germany. Exact dates and further information: http://gay-filmnight.com
