Freaktana
A Major Disappointment
Odelecol
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Zlatica
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Rückenwind" or "Light Gradient" is a German movie from seven years ago written and directed by Jan Krüger and this was far from his first work in terms of gay-themed movies. And admittedly, it is also not as bad as the short film he made on this matter early in his career. But "Rückenwind" is still a pretty unsuccessful project overall. There was not a single factor about this film that I really liked. I have seen many gay-themed (short) films and the problem is in 90% of the cases that the film relies way too heavily on the couple being homosexual and not heterosexual as if this was already a major plot point. In my opinion, you have to deliver in the face of this background information and not act as if this is the plot already. To be more focused on this film here, this is also a major flaw I believe. Apart from that, the writing does not feel too inspired either. It was obviously the maker's intention to deliver a character study here, in which nothing really spectacular happens, but even from that perspective I found it lacking and boring. It certainly does not help that the two lead actors do not seem to be among the most gifted of their craft. looking at their bodies of work in recent years, it seemed that they stopped acting. And Krüger also has not made a feature film in 5 years anymore. I hope if he does another one one day, he will have improved a bit as "Rückenwind" is disappointing for the most part and lack relevance despite being very short and running only for approximately 75 minutes. Not recommended.
jm10701
I loved this movie! I don't care that I don't understand the end or much of anything else about it. I may figure it out someday, or I may not, but that does not in any way diminish the joy this wonderful movie gave me.I was fascinated for every one of its 75 minutes. The music alone is exhilarating, an eclectic mix including an 18th century Handel song and modern instrumentals that made me want to dance (and I am NOT a dancer). Sebastian Schlecht, who plays Johann, the darker-haired of the two lovers, is extraordinarily appealing in a quirky, understated way, and his expressions during the last ten minutes of the movie just blew me away.I never assume actors are gay, but if these two are not, then they had the best direction any two straight actors ever had, and they followed that direction with courage and dedication and talent few actors have. I believed completely in the passion and the tenderness between them, and their love scenes are some of the most erotic I have ever seen, although they are not even close to being explicit sexually.I can't get over how much better this movie is than other reviewers led me to expect.
David Kerlick
I'm not sure it counts as a spoiler, since I couldn't figure out the ending.This film seemed to go nowhere, slowly and randomly. Two gay boyfriends (together two months) go on a biking trip together, and encounter mishaps and some friction. They take refuge in a farmhouse with a 40ish woman who seems to fixate on gay men (like her vanished husband) and her teenage son who is typically rather bored and boring, not especially interested in things gay, and not believable as a threat to the two lovers. There's a loose sense of foreboding, but since all the characters seem bored or moody, there is little in the way of clues to piece together a plot. There are a lot of indulgent scenic shots which slow down the action, rather than adding momentum towards a denouement that when arrived at, I still found confusing. The side story about a disappearance in the 18th century seems like it could be a clue to the action, but I couldn't see how it fit. Ditto the psychoactive berries, which add confusion rather than clarity and makes an attempted thriller less thrilling and more confusing in the end.
ljt236
I feel compelled to write a rare--for me--review because I feel that the only previous reviewer missed the point of this movie almost entirely.It's true that the photography and setting are beautiful. It's also true that the title refers to the gently-sloping bike lane that the two protagonists choose for their camping weekend in the country. However, like almost everything else in the film, it also may allude to the gradual, almost imperceptible manner in which a "hike in the woods" can degenerate into a mad rush to terror.The film opens in an antiseptic institution of unknown character wherein one of the central characters, Johann, finds himself. In voice-over, he tells of a fable involving a fox and a hare. The fox is attempting to lure the hare into the deep woods for a little adventure. The hare, ignorant of any impending danger, is finally persuaded. "I'm game", he intones. The scene then cuts to a passenger car on a train bound for the German countryside. The young man we have just met now has a new-found companion, Robin. It soon becomes apparent that the two very attractive young men are lovers, each with a bit of a masochistic/sadistic streak. The balance of this rather brief study in human nature--at a mere 75 minutes--is a test of the viewer's aptitude at deciphering which of the two boys is the hare and the other the fox. Every detail in the film is critical to avoiding being blind-sided by the ambiguous and chillingly abrupt ending.
