User Reviews

I've watched a number of gay themed movies recently. Most have been devastating to watch - This is another one. I still loved the film though.

What makes it devastating is how real the performances are and where they lead. I watched these two guys create a bond, to the point where they just seemed to complete each other. They hold each other so tenderly, they're so at ease in each other's arms. The actors really did a great job and looked completely at ease with each other.

When the guys part ways for the first time during the movie, what they convey on their faces with just the flick of an eye or the breaking of a voice is brilliant - but that was nothing compared to their final scene. You could see "what could have been" and "what has been lost" all over their faces, and finally you could see their hearts breaking.

I immediately googled to see if there were any plans for a sequel. I would love to see a follow up, but in 'no-happy-ending' gay land, I imagine it's doubtful.

What a really emotionally engrossing film. The chemistry between the lead actors is phenomenal and I found myself falling in love with them as they fell in love. The acting is superb. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 star rating is because I'm so sick of all gay films ending in the same way. Let the film industry tell it, and there's no way gay people can actually be happy unless it's in a comedy filled with negative gay stereotypes and almost parodies actual relationships. This film deserved a better ending. Why couldn't he just look out into the crowd and see him there...I would've accepted that ending...not this one....ugh... Still worth a watch I guess.

The titular character in Swiss film 'Mario' plays football in a second-string under-21 side, but the talented striker has hopes of hitting the big time. His ambitions take a knock when German player Leon (Aaron Altaras) is parachuted into the team. Although Leon is an obvious rival to Mario, the pair nonetheless become friendly, so it is no problem when the football club decides they should share accommodation. But in the forced intimacy of living together, one thing leads to another (c'mon, that's no spoiler!) and complications ensue.

On the face of it, there is nothing particularly new about this homosexual romance, but on closer look there are subtle novelties: the footballing setting, and the fact that when Mario's father expresses sweary disappointment at his son's man-on-man romance it is more in the context of how it will affect his prospects as a player rather than revulsion at a gay son: outside of the footballing world, the film's message seems to be, homosexuality is no longer a big deal. And the romance is not the only focus of the film, as we also follows Mario to Hamburg as he makes it into the big leagues - albeit with his female best friend in tow as 'WAG cover'.

The acting is variable. In the lead role, Max Hubacher is pleasingly low-key in his portrayal of Mario's confusion as to his feelings for Leon and whether he is gay or merely smitten with one particular man. But the script allows former child actor Altaras less scope to flex acting muscle beyond being happy, angry or sad, which is perhaps why he comes across as more of a soap star. In the supporting roles, I liked Andreas Matti as Mario's world-weary agent.

This is a perfectly pleasant film - albeit it one with not as much nudity as you might expect from something with so many scenes set in the changing rooms - "Footballers' Wives" did *that* much better...

This movie is seriously heavy. Honestly, I wanted a different ending. I want the writers to go back and rewrite the ending. But it also sticks with you, in a gut-wrenching kinda way.

Very well acted and written. Now please make a sequel so we know everything is okay for the characters afterward.

I can't recall a movie in recent years that has swiped me of my feet so completely like Mario did. It's cute, heartwarming, emotional, cruel, sad and heartbreaking all together. The acting of all the actors is superb, but especially Max and Aaron. Their chemistry is wonderful and the way the story develops from a bit of rivalry to friendship to lovers is believable, heartwarming and spot on. My favourite scenes are the ones in the bus after the practice (the Amy Winehouse-talk), the fair (Mario giving that dolphin-key to Leon) and ofcourse that night-gaming session were Leon takes the risk of kissing Mario. But also the hesitation of Mario after that first kiss and then kissing Leon back a few days later after some private thinking is touching.The acting of the boys get's stronger and stronger in the second part of the movie were they both act differently on the situation of being pressured to keep their affair hidden in this nongay-friendly football world.Tears were in my eyes at that last few scènes.

I totally understand why Marcel Gisler made the choice to give this movie a sad ending, because it's a pretty accurate reflection of the current situation in modern football and being gay as a player. I also read he isn't a fan of a second movie. Nevertheless I hope he and the other writers and cast will consider doing a sequel of this story. Not because that Mario and Leon need to end up together at all cost (although that would be a nice side-effect) but mainly because this movie raised so much discussion in the press in a lot of countries about why active gay players still have trouble coming out in the current footballworld (the big leagues) and the sadness, depression and loneliness this players suffer being in the closet. It would be sad to let that momentum die now. Where the first movie adresses the problem, the sequel could be a guide for football clubs how they should come to terms with players that are gay and sees us Mario coming out after all (for example at St Pauli or being a Swiss national team-player) and choose for love and football with Leon at his side. So Mr Gisler, I hope you use your magic touch with this fantastic cast&crew for a second time.

Great acting, great relationship development. My main conflict is with the ending. This is what I usually see in gay films:

1. Two guys have intimate relations. One man is very closeted, straight-identifying, and homophobic. While the other is more accepting of the idea of being gay

2. The more accepting guy starts to fall in love and wants more intimacy. While the homophobic guy feels shame and regret, and gets angry when the other guy pushes for more

3. They might mess around a few more times, but something comes to a head (usually someone finds out) and the homophobic guy freaks out and denounces their relationship

4. The homophobic guy moves on, dates a woman, basically continues his whole life living mostly contentedly as a "straight" man, completely leaving the other guy behind. The more accepting guy is left miserable, pining after the homophobic guy

"Mario" was a little different in that it flipped the narrative of point 4. Instead of the openly gay guy left pining after the homophobe who moves on to marry a woman, it's the homophobe whose left pining after the openly gay guy, who moved on with another man. So the message seemed to change from "it's miserable to be openly gay, the guy you fall in love with will be ashamed and leave you" to "it's miserable to be closeted, you're better off staying with the man who loves you instead of pretending to be straight"

So I liked that element of it. On the other hand, it did of course perpetuate the inevitable trope of gay men ending up miserable and not being able to have a happy ending.

It would have been 10 stars, except the ending was maddening. It turned what could have been an absolutely wonderful love story between two men into yet another clichéd movie about a likeable gay couple separated by homophobia and the resultant emotional tragedy. The ending truly ruined the entire movie. I was angry at the filmmakers when I finished watching it. Would it kill these studios to give us a satisfying happy ending to a gay love story once in a while instead of building up the viewers only to crush us with negative societal stereotypes? I loved the first 90 minutes and was expecting the same type of happy ending that every heterosexual romantic film gives its protagonists. It left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and a little bit more cynical... not about society, but about filmmaking that seems to be stuck with the social mores of the 20th century.

Like many reviews say this is a truely brilliant film. The characters and storyline are very believable and the acting is superb. I'm sure it is very true to life for Professional gay footballers. The ending made me very sad and although I watched the film last night, I've spent a lot of time today wishing the ending had been different for the two main characters. The film has absorbed me and I can only hope for a sequel that gives a happy ending for Mario & Leon. Other reviews have suggested very suitable plot lines around how Mario could 'come out' as a gay professional footballer and with Leon's support demonstrate a clear path for others to follow. This will be a film I will watch again and again.

This is basically a coming-out movie, with all the emotional hardships that go along with it. But here the original angle is in the context: this time not a high school or a stifling conservative or religious family, but the macho world of professional soccer-players.

Mario is a talented soccer-player at the brink of a major break-through towards premier-league football, when he meets Leon, a new team-mate. They fall in love but are forced by their management to hide their relationship out of fear for furious soccer-fans and sponsors retracting their investments. The result is somewhat like Brokeback Mountain: while Mario bends to the pressure and the fact that he has to hide his true feelings, Leon resists and tries in vain to persuade Mario to do the same, with predictable detrimental consequence.

The movie is very well made and the main characters are convincingly portrayed by Max Hubacher (Mario) and Aaron Altaras (Leon), who we even can see playing a fairly good game of soccer.

This is not a coming-out movie with a happy end, but I'm afraid it is all the more realistic. Since more or less 5 percent of the males are gay, it's a sure thing that among soccer players (like among everyone else) there's a substantial contingent of gay players, who even in this liberal and tolerant day and age cannot show their true colors, because in the world of male sports some weird traditional mass-machismo makes it impossible. It's such a sad, sad thing.

Everything was planned out and executed perfectly by the writers, actors, and the director. Rich, engrossing story, spot on acting, pacing is great, but the ending is absolutely atrocious. There was ZERO closer. Things were sloppily explained away. I guess Mario is going to continue his life of silent misery, and Benzos. On the good side, this director should do mainstream films. I loved the tight shots, and the lighting; he has a real talent for movie making. I just wish he would have worked on this very unsatisfying ending. I wanted to rate 9 so badly. Remember, the ending, is EVERYTHING.