User Reviews

I won't re-hash all that has been written here about the plot - needless to say, this is a "coming out" story, but in my mind it was more of a coming-out to life and responsibility than just being gay or straight.

We find Marc at the beginning of the movie as a bit of a slacker - he has taken the easy way most of his life - he comes from a family of police, so he joins the force, he isn't doing very well at the police academy because he just wont push or apply himself. He has a girlfriend and neither of them can commit to marriage despite the fact they are expecting a child. They have moved back in with the parents - again the easy way - and we find Marc is just "going with the flow." Along comes a gay guy who shakes things up, and in the end, forces March to examine his life.

I loved the metaphor of running in this movie - at first he can't keep up with his colleagues on the force, but at the end, he pulls ahead of the pack, and we know he is on the way to manhood and making his own life decisions. I really love movies where the characters step up to life and become strong - that is my take away here.

I found this movie by chance last Sunday. Today is Wednesday and I've seen it 6 times already. So, did I love it? Absolutely.

I'll try to keep some order but i have so many things to say about this movie that I don't know if i'm gonna make it.

What I love about it is that it feels so real. Marc struggling with his desire for Kay, the necessity of touching him, the peace he shows when they are together... He might had that with Bettina before knowing Kay, but not anymore. He knows is the wrong thing to do, not because he's with a guy but because he's being unfaithful and yet he cannot do anything about it, but keep falling down.

I also love that they are Men. I mean, they don't talk their problems out. They meet, have sex, dance, caress, but they don't talk. When frustration is so strong they cannot hold it, they use violence (one blow at the face, tumbling down some furniture...). The same thing happens with passion, they just collide into kisses, (at the beginning, at least) and then they have sex. I'm talking about the movie, here. Not about each and every men around the world.

On the other side we have Bettina. This clever girl who smells problems at first sight and keeps waiting for him to talk. Obviously, he doesn't know how to do it. So he just keeps pushing her away. There is a sentence that shocked me: "I was alone, like a single mum". It kind of says that she doesn't care what's going on with him. Or maybe a little, but what's really important, is people not knowing something's happening. And I think that's so sad, and so common...

And finally, coming out of the closet. I think at the hospital is the very first time Marc feels what means to be gay. People around him is ashamed for something it came so natural into his life. People bullying him for the stupid fact of who he loves. And giving up his relationship with Kay is his way to do the right thing, even tough his body is screaming against it. He feels so lost when going into Kay's place and finding it empty.

I decided to buy this DVD last week when it was first released in UK, apprehensive in some ways it would be another run-of-the-mill gay movie. I need hardly have worried, as it turned out to be a very high quality production. I liked choice of actors, and it was well directed. Full plaudits to Riemelt and Koffler both ideally suited to the allotted roles. The script was credible and authentic to our times. However, I would have been happier had we seen Marc and Kay socialising more often in everyday pursuits as they would have done during their brief affair, lunching, trips into the countryside,trips to a cinema or theatre, but all we saw were jogging outings in the woods, having sex in Kay's apartment, and a night in a gay disco. Their love, thus for me, was not as firmly established as I would have wished ideally. As it stands,the affair is left to look like sexual attraction only. Kay did declare his love for Marc but it was only on the final time, that I was beginning to believe it, yet, am still pondering what drew Kay to Marc and vice versa,and why did both fall in love, other than the obvious physicality of both guys. In conclusion, a very good little film, gives much food for thought many hours after viewing, always the sign of a movie at the top end of its market. I would like to see more gay/bi-themed films of this standard and will be looking for others with Riemelt and Koffler in the future.

The story line in rough terms: Police guy (Marc) unexpectedly falls in love with a fellow (Kay) who follows him into his precinct, setting a trail of events in motion.

This movie is nicely treated and should challenge a few conceptions. First, we are far away from the usual set of stereotypes for a gay theme movie. Do not expect the "feminine gay guy", "in touch with his sensitive side" or the depicting of a conveniently acceptable near-miss female guy here, the two main actors are beautifully masculine and the whole relationship will make many unsettled. This is not a "drug addicted losers" theme either: there are some mild drug involved but not the center theme. And no no no - this was not about the "gay disease spreading and corrupting the straight guy" or "not realistic as taking place in modern times with wide acceptance of gays". Those comments missed the bottom line. This movie is smarter in many ways and is about choices, struggle, duality and actually becoming a man by finally be in control of ones own life and impulses as well as external influences.

The character of Marc has a lot to look for - pretty good looking, strongly built and apparently fit he is well established, has a gorgeous girlfriend and a kid on the way. They are moving and starting their life in a house together, all looks like a classic life. The German traditional life is on the way for a traditional family, with no troubles ... on the surface. But this too classic in fact as on closer look, we realize Marc comes from a family of cop and goes to the police academy following a path probably already set for him by peer expectations and traditions. A good boy from a good family making Mama proud. But we guess him to be a tender and shy individual (from the start, he has secrets and simplicity in his manners toward Bettina and is soft speaking) who has followed the least resistance path in life until now. Even at training, he does not push himself and always falling behind and not able to finish the race - he cannot control his breathing and has no real motives.

With Kay coming and helping, a transformation and relationship develops - here, the movie could have developed the characters better: we wish to know and understand better what has pushed those two together beyond physical attraction but nonetheless, the love is quite believable and carries the sense of troublesomeness. But this is not a story about his parents, his girlfriend or his lover - this story is about Marc and his journey to independence.

The true value of the movie is what comes next. Marc struggles with the duality - he has feelings for Bettina and wants to be there for his (now born) child but his environment is pressuring and tightening. From his homophobic colleagues to his parents. "We did not raise you that way" is a classic yet tense moment discussion with his mother opening the Pandora's box of questioning and self-introspection. We also have a feel this movie is bringing to the forefront a topic beyond a classic gay theme - Marc would have been just fine continuing his relation with Kay and Bettina and raise a family if there were no pressures (perhaps again choosing the least resistance), a very "untraditional" way to live and not so black-and-white (homo / hetero) we are accustom to. Even Kay's declaration of love and his own expectations ("I! I! It is always about you - what about me?") brings things to the brink of the impossible. First his parents then Bettina discovers his affair and all hell breaks lose and in the opened. An attempt to patch and move back in, neither Bettina ("I cannot even be properly jealous") nor Marc can make it work as he soon finds he cannot breath again and struggles between the conflicting feelings and the whole situation. He clearly has not learn to be a man before those challenges.

Some reviews suggested this is about lust and not love but I would urge to think again as even that is treated briefly - I will pass on the relatively blend gay love scenes: again, I doubt that was the point so no real efforts were made here, only trying to convey either some passion or gentle touches. But the real point why this is clearly not about lust, is when Marc tries to understand himself going to a gay bar he has been in with Kay before and attempting a casual hook-up. It clearly does not work for him; it is not what he wants. He find it was truly about Kay and Kay is missing in his life and this whole excitement is gone and cannot be trivially replaced. But he has now apparently lost both Kay and Bettina and it is hard not to feel sympathy for him crying, alone, toward the end.

The ending would be sad if we do not pay attention - the closing scenes is similar to the opening one. He is on the running track again but this time, he is in control of his breathing and ahead of his fellow cops which leaves us hopeful he is ready to make his own decision but most of all, be in control of his life.

Free Fall has shown up on a lot of lists of good gay films and while it's viewing it's really nothing you haven't seen before if you watch a lot of queer movies. How you receive Free Fall might be based on your personal experience dealing with your sexuality (if you're one of those later-in-life guys) but more than likely it'll have a lot to do with how attractive you find the lead male characters, Marc and Kay, to be.

Plot wise Free Fall very much like Broke Back Mountain (a manly straight guy discovers, with the help of a more aware acquaintance, that he's not so straight). I also has a lot in common with some 80s and 90s films and TV plots (man who is happily settled/settling in to family life discovers he's more than just a little curious about guys and how that revelation wreaks havoc on his life).

Free Fall is fairly well crafted, it has an unvarnished, unsentimental quality which makes it seem like an almost cliché moody European film. The film is tightly focused on the main characters (Marc, his pregnant girlfriend, and Kay) which creates a sometimes uncomfortable intimacy.

But beyond the passionate relationship of the male leads (which is often shown in a cliché queer movie fashion; fast and hard and quick) there's not much here.

One has to wonder if Free Fall would be so well received if Kay and Marc weren't such good looking guys. Had this been the story of two guys who weren't ripped and chiseled but two average guys leading average lives who found themselves in love it might have been a more interesting film.

I saw this film as part of the Berlinale 2013 film festival, in the section named Perspektive Deutsches Kino (Perspectives of German film). The venue with 525 seats was fully booked. It was the 2nd screening after a world premiere the day before.

The starting situation is interesting and offers many opportunities for unexpected developments. The story line proved very different from the a-priori assumed (by me), more traditional (but boring) process flow, normally is that a path along troubled emotions, via a short tumultuous period leading a double life, and finally a happy end, declared "cured" of the temporary aberration. What this film shows is more complex, hence more interesting, and we were lucky to see the underlying ideas being executed so well.

Incomplete list of ingredients: Marc and Bettina expect their first baby and move to a place provided by her parents where there is more room; Marc meets a fellow police office Kay on a training course and discovers gay sex for the first time; Kay lets himself transfer to the same team where Marc works, and they secretly have sex together while disguising their meetings as outdoor training for a physical exam; Marc's wife Bettina asks him whether there is another woman involved, and without a blink Marc replies it is not the case; Kay is picked up in a gay bar by the police, exposing his secret to his fellow policemen; Kay is assaulted by one of his colleagues, but the team leader covers the offender; Marc becomes more and more absent (in the flesh, and in his mind) in the weeks just before the baby is born; and so on. There are many more such ingredients, of which the obvious anti-gay attitude within the police force is an important one throughout.

Things get really out of control when Kay openly admits that he is in love with Marc, which he does on two occasions: once among fellow police officers, and a second time against Marc's parents. He implicitly plants the suggestion that Marc is also gay, trying to force a decision where Marc himself is not so certain about. Marc's parents react as could be expected: "We have not raised you like this." Overall, the situation becomes more and more tense, only waiting for a moment that the complicated truth surfaces and gets exposed to the world. Not only the parents but especially the police force shows apparent coping problems with having gay (or assumed gay) people very near them. Still, the situation is not without hope, because a second assault on a suspected gay colleague by the same offender as the previous time, is not covered anymore by the team leader.

Throughout the story we observe Marc and his wife Bettina in all different stages of their relationship in trouble. Bettina discovers first that Marc's absence in the weeks before the baby was born, was not due to extra night shifts as he had held out. Some time later she gradually gets to know new facts about Marc and Kay, particularly that there is much more to it than only training together. At first Marc denies everything, but he ultimately cannot maintain his general denial, and admits they had sex together. We are bystanders of the usual process: Bettina packs her things and moves to her parents, Marc breaks up with Kay, Marc makes several attempts to contact Bettina and explain, and so on. Bettina's most important complaint, however, is not the bare fact that he had sex with Kay, but his continuous lying and betrayal. It offers an opening for a happy end, in spite of what happened before. For spoiler's sake I cannot tell more.

During the final Q&A we heard a notable remark: "The human interactions in the story are more important than the actual sex, though sex could not be left out. In fact, it is a love story". The latter may be true, but it is not of the feel-good category, and hence does not leave us with the expectation of a standard happy end. Also in the Q&A we heard that the police did not participate in this film at all, and that everything we saw happening on police's premises, was in fact shot within an especially built scenery (read between the lines: the police force still is not done with these issues).

All in all, the story is very well told with impeccable casting and acting. In spite of an overload of stereotypes and cliché's, the film seems acceptable for gay and straight viewers alike. It may very well serve to show the thin lines between homo and hetero, being two ways of life not so clear cut as most "normal" persons assume. I think the film could use an extra dose of humor, offering relief from some tense scenes that leave us behind with negative emotions. Besides that, I fear that the implicit message gets stuck in everyone's head that coming-out for one's sexual preferences is dangerous and challenging, has no useful purpose, and creates turmoil that is not easily repaired. I cannot imagine that to be a desired side effect as intended by the film makers.

"Freier Fall" (Free Fall) really is a beautiful film. Excellent cinematography. Believable characters. And the gorgeous, atypical gay guys it portrays aren't effeminate in any discernible way. Yes folks, this may be the gay film you've been waiting for. Right? Well, probably not. After viewing, like me, you most likely will still find yourself waiting.

"Free Fall" ticks off a lot of the boxes on my gay film wish-list, but it's still a foreign film. So unless you actually speak German, if your cat (or anything else) comes flying at your face and you miss a line of subtitled text, you will have to rewind to re-read what you missed. (So don't blink.) It's then a bit presumptuous to criticize the film's dialogue in any meaningful way when every nuanced word is lost on a non-native speaker. Even so, one need not be a Germanophile to recognize that Marc's girlfriend Bettina didn't seem to trust him very much from the start. She may have had two scenes where she appeared warm and affectionate. Otherwise, Bettina's role was to be a distrustful heterosexual witch doing everything she could to keep Kay from flipping her testosterone-filled, table-flipping peacock, Marc.

Speaking of Kay: Oh, Kay. (Ha!) Kay was an enigma wrapped in a mystery. A sexy enigma, but an enigma nonetheless. Here's a guy who was forward enough to masturbate Marc in the middle of a forest, have sex in a car and party regularly like it's 1999 while using date rape drugs in a gay bar (where he of course has more sex in public restrooms) but seemed to struggle with his orientation in every other meaningful way. He was gay-shamed, beaten, and blamed for every conflict in the film. He didn't really stand up for himself much and at the end, just accepted what was happening as inevitable. The lesson to be derived from all this is apparently telling people you're gay is a really, really bad idea.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed "Free Fall" and I recommend everyone see it at least once. There's moments of brilliance within this film where the connection between Marc and Kay seems genuinely authentic. But alas, those moments are fleeting as Marc is emotionally unavailable. Were this an American gay film, in the final five minutes, either Marc or Kay would have died of AIDS, committed suicide, or been involved in a vehicle/plane/jet crash leaving us to watch the credits roll in freshly distressed horror. Which is another telling indicator that this is a foreign film: Here, the ending is just as depressing but it's at least somewhat realistic and appropriate considering the events leading up to that moment.

You should see "Free Fall" at least once. Just don't expect a happy ending. (Who am I kidding? if you're a fan of gay films, you can't be expecting one of those!) No, "Free Fall" isn't perfect. But it is a gorgeous film with gorgeous men being gorgeous together most of the time. For that reason alone, you should probably check it out.

I read other people's reviews before watching so was thinking it was going to be somewhat unbelievable in terms of the relationship, but I actually didn't agree. I thought it was quite good. I liked the way it jumped along through time and that you go the sense of these two guys really liking each other even though they didn't talk a lot. You never got a completely full picture of what Kai was about but there were little hints. He at one point tells Marc that he is an 'infiltrator' - coming in to break up the establishment, and he truly does seem to be a non-scared individual who is not afraid of not being liked by others. But he also is perhaps a bit naive in that he thinks that Marc is just going to drop everything right away for their relationship. I also like that at the end he just sees reality as it is and leaves and doesn't do anything really self-destructive. He's a smart, graceful person and so the way he handles Marc's rejection seems more realistic to me.

Marc is also a well drawn character. He goes through a believable evolution. One favorite part of mine was when he finally gets back in the homophobic cop's face near the end of the film. He really goes right at the guy and literally kisses him and strokes his face to make a point. The face stroke seems to really throw the guy off balance the most, and he lets Marc have it. Marc seems believably strong, both physically and mentally, and that he is standing up to this jerk because he had been made stronger by being around Kai and because he is gaining a stronger sense of self himself. I also liked how the filmmakers took on homophobia really directly in the way the bullying cop was acting. This is exactly the kind of behavior that a lot of juvenile males exhibit, and by showing it, it really makes the viewer wonder - what in the hell is he doing? What's his real problem here? Is he looking for his own dick to be sucked? Anyhow, great film and worth another viewing for sure!

And with that I am referring to all those weak, or occasionally horrible, films that deal with homosexuality. Most of these are short films and for some reason people seem to appreciate them only because of the topic, even in the face of low production values or talentless actors. This one is different. And that is mostly because of two people. The first would be Stephan Lacant who did a really good job writing and directing these 100 minutes. The second is Hanno Koffler, who delivers an incredibly convincing performance. He absolutely deserved his Best Actor nomination at the German Film Awards, It was an amazing year. Didi Hallervorden and Sascha Alexander Gersak were really really good in their movies as well.

This one here deals with two separate issues of homosexuality. First of all, there is the professional factor. The main character works as a police officer which is probably one of the worst professions for such a sexual tendency. The only possibly worse one I can think of would be football player. He faces lots of homophobia, but also tolerance from several colleagues. The second area is his private life. He has a girlfriend, who is pregnant and becomes a father halfway into the film, which makes the whole situation even more complicated. So what is he? Bi-curious? Bisexual? Homosexual? It does not become entirely obvious. Even the ending is an open one, but still it seems there is no future for him and his girlfriend. The latter is played by Katharina Schüttler. She has a tendency to be very similar in all the character she plays, but I still believe she is a very talented actress. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about Max Riemelt. Just like Schüttler, he is among the most lauded actors of his generation, but in my opinion, he plays always the same character and I am yet to see a performance from him where he proves to me that he has really decent range. I am not only referring to the fact here that he has played so many police officers in his career, but that there is never anything new with him in terms of making the character his own. He does not lose himself in the role.

Thank God, this cannot be said about Koffler, who is slowly gaining similar (amd far more deserved) acclaim. Another Best Actor nomination for "Härte" this year for him. But back to this film here, supporting characters are all pretty solid too and played by experienced actors such as Maren Kroymann. All in all, this film is definitely worth a watch. Tense from start to finish and nothing more than a handful weaknesses. Mostly, I would have preferred another actor than Riemelt as the main character's love interest. But Lacant did really good here and shows us that he got great experience from his short film work in the past. This was the second time already I watched this film. First time was when it came to theaters back in 2013. It hasn't gotten worse on rewatch at all. However, I am not too sure what to think of the idea that there will be a sequel here. Then again, maybe it won't even be made. We shall see. This original here I certainly recommend.

German film about Marc (Hanno Koffler) who is studying to be a police officer and is living with his pregnant girlfriend. Then he meets Kay (Max Riemelt) and starts to fall in love with him. Kay loves Marc but Marc has a girlfriend. What will he do?

Well-done and acted with two attractive leads. The script is good and moves quickly enough. However this movie has a big old tragic ending which I could have lived without. Can't we have a gay male love story with a happy ending? I'm giving it a 7 because it was well-done but I hate the ending.

I'm shattered in all the right ways by this film. First-class acting by the lead characters, brilliant story-writing (want to meet this screen/story writer!), outstanding directing, beautiful filming - I run out of adjectives with which to praise this film.

People have compared it to "Brokeback Mountain", but I think that's a mistake. There is loss here, but there is also an enormous amount of growth. The symbolic use of our lead character's breathing challenges at the start of the film contrasted with his loose and easy breathing in the last scene is a perfect representation of the arc of the story. Loss, but clarity and wisdom as well in this film.

I watch an enormous amount of gay film, and this ranks easily in the top five films I've ever, ever seen in this genre. And it would be unfair to limit this to a gay audience - like Brokeback (in this respect) it is a story for a much larger audience. Some great examination of relationship, self-honesty, the challenge of being attracted (or even in love) with more than one person - some wonderful themes in this movie.

Must-see - end of story.

This film introduces us to a young man moving along a well-worn track: advancing in his job, moving into a house with his pregnant girlfriend, parents all smiles. Then out of nowhere comes a force so strong it just knocks this conventional guy off his track. That force is another man. Sounds good so far. The problem comes in dealing with the reality of what happens next, and what choices are available in confronting that reality. The protagonist, Marc, once he allows himself to succumb to Kay's quiet, but potent seduction, is almost nonverbal for the rest of the movie. He seems to act completely on instinct, forgoing his life, his family, everything for this new, strong lust he feels. I think it works as melodrama, but as reality, I have a hard time buying it. I would have preferred two male leads who are deep thinkers, who are able to verbalize the risks both are taking. Gay men can be intelligent about their emotions too, not just carnal. Marc never expresses his feelings, or growing anxiety about those feelings to anyone, not even his new love, Kay. Kay, in turn, goes along with Marc's emotional indecision until it hurts him too. I'm a little weary of homosexual desire portrayed as some barely-contained base impulse that can't be thought about and expressed in sophisticated ways. It would have made the movie truer to life and even more dramatic if that path were chosen. Instead, we get a character who has moved out, has lost his girlfriend and boyfriend, his family and all stability, and yet we are to believe that through it all, he has found himself. Give me a break. He could have done that way earlier if he just had the courage of his convictions and told one or the other what he was feeling in a rational, intelligent way.