Slow paced love story kept me hooked but the straight acting gay guy did it for me he was gorgeous and a much better acting than the straight soon to be married guy. The only thing that I thought was a let down was the straight guy that was soon to be married was camper than the gay guy I couldn't see this guy as a footballer can't even for the life of me know how his girlfriend didn't know about him he wouldn't look out of place on a Mardi gras float in a gay parade.
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charmedwitch97814 October 2018
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dustincholden-265-57662817 July 2019Jo Weil gives a hypnoticperformance as Michael. Though I'm unsure what the attraction is for him in Will, this was a pretty decent movie about exploring and relationships. If course the ending is something to be desired. The biggest complain I have are the random beach shots to signify inner turmoil. I don't believe that was needed as all it did was take me out of the action.
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ILZAMU18 September 2021It was just casually story. I didn't feel emotions and climax. They're just talking and drunk in a whole movie. And I get bored.
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First Brignall was miscast, and Weir was not. Second the title with its Biblical title and its association with a city damned by supposedly divine intervention was utterly inappropriate. The casting of two men talking and sexually relating through the night did not bore me, as I like that sort of film that is intimate, and no two encounters are ever the same, and the nuances of such meetings can be full of human insight. Eric Rohmer's films are a perfect example on how to succeed in that. But to be honest I did not quite believe that these two would have much to say, and when they did I responded and despite misjudged casting the film has its merits. I disliked the ending, which was as negative as the title. No spoilers although other reviewers have. Sadly again the final scenes reminded me of those novels of the 1950's when it was obligatory ( publishers colluding with public opinion demanded it ) to be negative, but I switched off. A pity as the film could have totally succeeded.
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collhi-102-4111428 September 2018This a slower, charming, very intimate movie...that's not going to be for everyone (eg my movie mate hated it.) But for those who are not in a hurry for action & who can appreciate very naturallistically & well acted scenes unfolding in an organic fashion...will appreciate the very satisfying pleasures this film has to offer.
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ozjosh035 November 2018This might have worked but for the utterly hopeless miscasting of Will, the would-be "straight-acting" footballer that nobody knows is gay. The actor, Pip Brignall, is clearly gay and almost anyone would pick it at 20 paces, if not the very moment he opens his mouth to speak. He also doesn't have a footballer's build or any of the likely mannerisms of your typical football club lad. So it's not even like he's superficially successful at playing the part. The other actor, Jo Weil, is at least hunky and does a reasonable job of pretending that Will is what the script says he is. Honestly, everyone involved should have done themselves a giant favour and called off the shoot if they couldn't find a more suitable actor.
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laurakb-8074919 September 2018Sodom aims high and, all in all, is a beautiful film. Telling the story of a "straight" young man's struggle to come to terms with his latent homosexuality a few weeks before his wedding, it explores themes that are relevant to everyone - regardless of age, gender or sexuality - such as courage, grasping fleeting opportunities and the need to sometimes face up to life-changing decisions.
The two characters are well-fleshed out and convincing in their portrayals, although Pip Brignall's acting is a little patchy. For me, the strength of the film comes from the atmosphere it creates through its camera work and lighting, which construct a self-contained "safe haven" in the apartment in which the bulk of the action is set.
Although the ending leaves the characters frustrated, the emergence into the light after the dark night of introspection strikes a final note of positivity. -
JJ-Chi22 February 2021The title "Sodom" makes zero sense for the name of this film and it is very difficult to enjoy this movie unless you are sight-impaired. Imagine a Caucasian actor playing an "Asian." We are expected to accept something that doesn't match what we actually see. The film is a perfect example of how BAD CASTING can ruin a movie. It's like watching an actor calling for his dog and then a cat shows up (and we are told it's a dog). I have no personal issue with Pip Brignall (Will; the younger, straight soccer player). He does an OK job, he was simply NOT RIGHT for the part because:
- AGE: he is supposed to be 20, but looks almost as old as the other 40-year old gay character.
- Orientation: supposed to be straight but looks 10X gayer than the "gay" character. Everything from hairstyle, his smile and mannerisms are screaming "gay." Then he opens his mouth and all suspicions are confirmed. Yet we are continually insulted by being told that he's straight. Yeah right!
- Does not look like or act like a soccor player. Besides, why even write a "soccer player" into the story when it is not important to the plot..
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laduqesa6 September 2018First thing to say is that the leads, in fact the only performers, were not believable in their roles. The allegedly straight guy was as camp as Christmas unlike the "straight-acting" gay guy. It's just absurd. Yes, I'm stereotyping, but to put forward this person as a supposedly straight, about-to-be-married professional footballer is ridiculous.
I just had this feeling of, "So what?" about the film. I wasn't engaged at all. I didn't care about these 2 guys.
I read a review that said that it was in the tradition of "Weekend". Well, that's probably why I didn't like it - I found that film a pretentious load of boring tripe. I gave up on Weekend after about 30 minutes.This film put me off after about 20 minutes.
I'd rather have stared into space for the rest of the running time than carried on watching. -
michael-musicforlife21 November 2018Sodom is nothing very new. But it is a graceful, artful, masterpiece set to beautiful photography and music. Generational conflict makes this film interesting and alive. I can't understand how anyone would dislike or hate it. A film-goer inspects all parts of a film, not just the plot. Although important, the plot is not everything. This film is alive and carried beautifully by only two actors the entire film. Both men are beautiful and perfectly cast. This film is nothing short of beautiful and is a positive image in the genre.
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Two men, one gay and one presumably straight, are unsure where to take their new friendship after a bit of sex follows a moment of rescue wherein the questioning kid is handcuffed naked to a lamppost (apparently by friends as a prank) and the handsome, older man comes to his aid with undershorts and a lift on his shoulders. Two-hander from the UK, filmed in Berlin, is well-made but has very little going on. The younger Will (Pip Brignall, 20-years-old but with a receding hairline) cries after gay sex to show us his shame and confusion (not that old one again!); he's also been directed to be a self-conscious 'laugher' (a constant annoyance). Older Michael (Jo Weil) broods like a lovestruck male model (he's "retired" and single, both easy outs by the writer trying to cut this scenario down to its basics). Director Mark Wilshin, who also penned the limited screenplay, caresses his subjects warmly with the camera (with 'sensuous' vibes on the soundtrack), yet we don't get emotionally involved with this couple. Before gay cinema can make strides forward, filmmakers have to show not only vision but a more ambitious agenda apart from when and where the guys are going to get naked. * from ****
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A low-key, intimate character study of two men, an older gay man and a younger, not so straight guy who meet under a unique circumstance late one evening and spend the night together discussing their pasts, their present, and maybe their future. Jo Weil's performance as Michael, the handsome, seasoned older man, is a revelation. A haunting piece of cinema that stays with you long after the film is over.
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s_lopiano12 January 2019Enjoyed this wonderful made film ... great acting and great bodies
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mallicamukherjee12 February 2021I enjoyed this film So much. As per it's starting, I was not think about it's depth. But Then I realized that, it's really a great movie with a proper name... But at the end, I'm so disappointed to see that, Will couldn't do this... He loves him... His body, his soul wanted him, but his social status can't let him stay with him.... This movie is nothing special but it's story and Acting... After Hawaii and weekend, it is my favorite no 3. Thank you.
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Two men meet. One a Brit footie player. "Not gay", of course, but has been with five guys. The other, well, really gay. He is a German, lives in Berlin. Has a great apartment. Does not work. There is a dead lover/partner perhaps a rich one. Not sure why this is let to be ambiguous but it lends to the languor of the film. The sexual tension is high but even higher is the possibility of a real relationship between the two. Really nice love scenes, or sex scenes depending on the point of view. See, the footie player is having sex. The German is having more after a long dry period. That is enough out of me. It is a bittersweet film where we get involved in the proceedings, almost like a third party. Or, that is how it felt to me. See it and enjoy. I only looked at the time remaining once. This is rare for me. When I get antsy I look to see how much longer I will have to watch. A bad habit. But does indicate my deeper and less involvement.
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akira-hideyo13 July 2021A slow and seductive tale of how an experienced black widow draws in its somewhat trapped but willing mate before the latter's tortured escape. I loved the obvious sexual nuances and how obviously both parties cannot resist each other's embrace but the usual denial of what's real and best can never match one's armored baggage. The title does not make sense but degraded preview expectations of what's truly a very beautifully constructed heart to heart connection between 2 special souls.
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etheringtonlisa10 August 2021I feel this movie was a beautiful movie when it comes to listening....will recommend to anyone.
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Don't let the terrible title and misleading trailer dissuade you from watching this fantastic movie.
This film kept populating in my Prime account. Because of the way it's being marketed I've avoided for at least a year, but finally got bored enough to give it a five-minute chance before tossing it for good. Instead, I was hooked as soon as the dialogue between the two characters began. What I realized immediately is that Sodom is well written, directed, and acted.
I couldn't disagree more with those who think that Pip Brignall is miscast as the "straight" footballer. Far from it. His character, Will, comes off as "gay" - because he is gay. What we see here, mainly, is the "gay" Will - his persona when he's not faking who he really is. There are some minor flashes of the "straight" Will when appropriate. And I won't mention where, here.
Pip Bignall constructs an amazing portrait of Will as a confused and tormented man who's yet to come to terms with who he is. His face is clownishly contorted at times which reflects his great struggle from within. He often draws out the vowels of a simple word (weeeeeeeeeeell..), torturing their pronunciation as if to road-test them before fully committing to them (a theme). THIS is the Will that has rarely been seen by anyone, other than the four other men he's been with. He himself doesn't know who this Will is and is discovering him in real-time in these encounters.
So, no, Will is not a butch he-man of a footballer. Thank God. He's a gay footballer with a butch facade - most of the time. All of this added together is a compelling and heartbreaking portrait of someone who most gay men can relate to in some significant, or minor, way. It's the lack of confidence, because of society, to explore the unknown. The crippling need to fake our way through the familiar and approved path that ALL people have to navigate. It's just that for gay people, with regards to an opposite sex partner, it is an impossibility with a fuse. That, is who Pip Brignall brings to life beautifully and in painful detail in this stunning film.
Everyone seems to agree that Jo Weil is fantastic here, and I do as well. His Michael is patient, seasoned, and knows of love and loss. His years of doubt are decades behind him. His Michael establishes a perfect polarity to Pip Brignall's Will. I hung on their every revelatory word. The evolution of their evening rang true and never felt to me as gimmicky or artificial. Granted, it is not a run of the mill date, as dates go. But I couldn't definitely see this one as something on each of their horizons, somewhere, at some point.
With all that out of the way - the writing and directing by Mark Wilshin is wonderful. The atmospherics breathtaking. That dance!!! It made my heart beat faster. I can't recommend this film highly enough. It is unusual, compelling, and expertly made. I have one small quibble with it that I won't bother with, and, that doesn't prevent me from giving it a 10 out of 10. Enjoy. You won't regret it. -
Kirpianuscus14 February 2023It is a film of atmosphere. Two men in an apartment, after one of them helps the other in an embarassing situation. A night and the connection. Options, realities, intentions and a bitter final.
A film proposing reflection. Less exactly a story or solutions but gifted by the fair exploration of ordinary dilemmas, choices, doubts and expressions of help and affection and loneliness.
It is the kind of film selecting in precise manner its audience. And doing that in subtle manner. Because not the subject is axis but the answers , to their reality, of the men.
And the end as a sort of deserved conclusion . -
ajayesseff18 April 2022The mature/strong/confident Michael whom one would not assume to be gay is brilliantly played by Jo Weil, and his sincere intensity is incredibly captured in Mark Wilshin's movie. Pip Brignal's Will brought out the complete juxtaposition of characters - he is young, unsure of himself, happy go lucky, sexually opportunistic, and caught up in a huge conundrum of how he genuinely feels for the woman he will marry (he sees his life totally mapped out with her, and she obviously compliments his happy go lucky attitude in life) and how he feels for this man he has just met. His immature awkwardness and joking nature is to be expected of his character being confronted with an intelligent and serious discussion of 'who he actually is'. In the end, the torment of making a choice between the 2 is excruciating and Pip does an excellent job of showing that. This is a typical situation for bisexuals all over the world. He wants to love both, but is too young and immature to be able to understand what he should do about it. Some reviewers criticize his role because he is not a big/butch football player, but you don't have to subscribe to the expectations of 'the masses' in today's world. That's why Pip was ideal. Stereotypes of butch = straight and campy = gay is so last century! Take a look around, not all good footballers are sexy butch Cristiano Ronaldo's (who also wears diamond stud earrings from time to time)! The only thing i hated was the biblical connotation and typical right wing conservative attitudes of the title. Otherwise it is perfect movie that kept me in it's slow moving grasp.
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josedavid7115 August 2020This movie was a pleasant surprise. It was a little weird at first but then things started falling into place. Places chosen for filming, acting, dialogue, chemistry. It was all there and just a cast of 2. If I would critique anything and it's not only in this movie but with a lot of foreign films, it's the constant smoking BUT that's just a personal preference I guess.
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jasonhogg14 July 2019Mg what an amazing film , I found this by chance just searching The actors were amazing Great story Both beautiful guys , Micheal reminds me off me , and me and my partner together 15 years that's kind of what it was when we met Well done to all who made this Absolutely brilliant Thank you