After partying in Berlin for 48 hours Harry (Matthew J. Morrison) meets dancer Johannes (Alexis Koutsoulis). With 15 hours to kill before his flight leaves, Harry decides to spend that time with Johannes as they wander around Berlin and get to know each other. What starts off as flirtatious soon turns into something more serious as they open up about their lives, their hopes and their dreams.
‘Boy Meets Boy’ by director Daniel Sánchez López, who wrote the screenplay with Hannah Renton, has been described as ‘Before Sunrise meets Weekend’ and that’s pretty accurate. Essentially a two-hander, we only spend time with Harry and Johannes, gaining a glimpse into their lives as their time together unfolds. Harry is hedonistic, always looking for his next hook-up on Grindr and consuming any drugs he can get his hands on, while Johannes is more reserved and looking for a real connection rather than a quick hook-up.
When they first meet, there is a clear spark and that’s what encourages them to pass the day together. At first their conversation is fairly surface-level as they quiz each other on mundane things, with Harry often keen to turn the conversation to sex. Johannes, resisting the urges of his new friend, would rather get to know Harry and he paves the way for them to have more open and honest discussions. It quickly becomes clear that their mutual attraction is purely lust and once they get to know more about one another, they realise their views and their worlds don’t align in quite the way they thought they did.
Renton and López’s screenplay picks apart the stereotypes of gay men and it confronts a number of real-world situations as Harry and Johannes converse. It contrasts a gay man who, by his own admission, refuses to sleep with the same person twice, against one who is keener to form a relationship that’s more hetero-normative. That of course causes friction and leads to an admission from Johannes that completely changes the dynamic between the two. At times the conversations border on the pretentious but it’s not unthinkable to have two young gay men sharing their ideals and world views, however naïve they may come across.
Keeping you hooked on the story are Matthew J. Morrison and Alexis Koutsoulis. A film like this relies mostly on the performances of its leads and thankfully both actors are strong. As the viewer learns more about each of them, you’ll find your opinion shifting and I constantly switched between siding with one over the other. Both characters have had different life experiences and this film highlights that sometimes lust isn’t anything more than just lust.
‘Boy Meets Boy’ is an interesting watch and at less than 80 minutes it doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’ll depend on how much you enjoy dialogue heavy films as to how much you enjoy this, but as an exploration of two young gay men having a chance encounter and challenging each other’s views, it’s solid enough. The film touches on some deeper conversations that would have been interesting to see play out more but it does enough during its run time to make you feel it was worthy of your time.
Cast: Matthew J. Morrison, Alexis Koutsoulis Director: Daniel Sánchez López Writers: Hannah Renton & Daniel Sánchez López Certificate: 15 Duration: 75 mins Released by: Peccadillo Pictures Release date: 6th September 2021 Buy ‘Boy Meets Boy’ now
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