Review of Fogi Is A Bastard

For the first half of this film, the only aspect even remotely unique about Fogi Is A Bastard is that it is set in Switzerland.  Otherwise the movie appears to be just another presentation of an oft-repeated gay European cinema theme in which an innocent gay lad develops a crush on an undeserving cad who leads him down a path of debauchery.

During the second half of the film, however, the characters take a decidedly interesting turn.  Director Marcel Gisler examines a shifting power relationship that seems inextricably tied to shifting economic circumstances of the two main characters.  This shift though is reflected in more than finances.  We see it as well in the characters’ abilities to cope with their environments and, most interestingly, in a subtle shift in the romantic relationship that holds this unlikely pair together.

My assigned rating of three stars is actually the result of averaging.  The first half of the movie is drudgery and barely worthy of a single star, but the complexity of the second half merits the five stars awarded to truly thought provoking films.  The latter makes the former worth enduring. 

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Genre: Gay themed drama

Director: Marcel Gisler

Language: English sub-titles

Availability: DVD and streaming

99Gay-Men.us Rating: ***

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