›› Sexual Tension: Volatile ‹‹ a sensuous mix of six scintillating stories for the boys by Marco Berger and Marcelo Mónaco. 2012 | 102 mins feature duration | Argentina. available on DVD as part of the TLA Releasing UK catalogue: 11.February.2013 / UK. "Turning a sharp eye to the mysterious, taboo and electrifying nature of male intimacy, "Sexual Tension: Volatile" offers a voyeuristic look at what happens when two men, thrown together in a variety of circumstances, culminate is an undeniably electric attraction."  ›› Ari a short film written and directed by Marcelo Mónaco. starring: Lucas Lagré and Mario Verón. 16 mins | the full monty. Official Synopsis: "a young man feels the adrenaline rush of his sexy tattooist's needle." Dave says:- Opening with a short that wonderfully sets the erotic stage of the show, this is but a play on the "gay first crush" scenario, as a young man finds himself yearning for the touch of a sexy tattooist whose hand edges ever closer to his body, be it by way of his inking needle, or perhaps something more intimate? Complete with full frontal nudity and a cinematic middle eight that is but the stuff that sexual fantasies are made of, the result is seductively sweet, to say the least.  ›› The Cousin - El Primo a short film written and directed by Marco Berger. starring: Javier De Pietro, Lautaro Machaca and Maximiliano Franco. 18 mins | the full monty. Official Synopsis: "a geeky, cute boy finds a hot summer afternoon triggering his taboo desire for the Speedo-clad cousin of his best friend." Dave says:- Some say that erotica is best served when it's achingly real and this sensuous short is certainly testament to such. Deliberately walking on "dare I look?" lines, here we witness the camera repeatedly and ever so voyeuristically linger on the all-wet and all-showing poolside shorts of the cousin, mirroring the gaze of a man only too aware of the direction his eyes are heading, even if he may not necessarily want them to. Knowing such is part and parcel of the sexual chemistry of the piece, Berger adds an air of mystery to the young man. For the cousin never speaks and yet both men end up getting to grips with the situation in hand. Bursting with bulges, male nudity and sheer eroticism and complete with Javier De Pietro, previously seen in Berger's Absent, doing a fine take on the look of lust, this marks one of the best works in the collection.  ›› The Other One - El Otro a short film written and directed by Marcelo Mónaco. starring: Leo Martinez and Guido Gastaldi. 17 mins | from the waist up. Official Synopsis: "two straight buddies literally show each other how to make love." Dave says:- When your best friend surprises you with news that his girlfriend wouldn't let him make love to her, on account of his being "on the large side of life" and we all know in what department, what's a straight boy to do, but show his mate how to make love to a woman. Er, run that by me again? For that's the story to be had here, one that is just too ludicrous a scenario for its own good, given how many heterosexual men would and apparently all too eagerly, physically run through the Kama Sutra of sex positions with each other, "push it well in" style. Then again, this short has clearly been devised for its tongue planted firmly in its celluloid cheek, even if and given the well-endowed nature of the narrative and there's a lot of words to it, I dare say many will be disappointed that on this occasion, no monty is present. Pleasing in its own way, nonetheless and with a sweet 'n' tender styled ending that makes you wonder about the boy's true position on the Kinsey scale.  ›› Broken Arms - Los Brazos Rotos a short film written and directed by Marco Berger. starring: Jair Toledo, Hernan Muñoa and Antonia De Michelis. 16 mins | the full monty. Official Synopsis: "a man with broken arms receives a sensual sponge bath from a male nurse." Dave says:- Men taking a shower together; an erotic setup if ever there was one. Only it depends on how it's played. For this is a frustrating work, given here we have a void of information and in particular whether or not either of the men get a sexual thrill from the time spent together in the shower. Nor for that matter do we learn the identity of the mysterious woman seen throughout; mother, carer - we know not? That Berger teases the viewer with frontal "now you see, now you don't" nudity, is not in doubt. And yet as a dialogue free short, frankly voices are not the only thing gone AWOL, as the eroticism of the piece seems to have exited stage left in the creative process, leaving one too many questions in its wake.  ›› Love - Amor a short film written and directed by Marcelo Mónaco. starring: Santiago Caamaño, Francisco Ortiz and Eva Benito. 15 mins | the full monty. Official Synopsis: "love is questionable when a broken shower brings a married man and a hairy innkeeper together." Dave says:- Playing the "two men in a shower" cinematic card from a different angle, here we find Mónaco wonderfully set the straight stage of his piece, joyfully depicting a loving heterosexual couple enjoying their time together on holiday in the countryside and here cue sunshine, lie-ins and outdoor breakfasts, that is before her sexy boyfriend comes to take a shower, with their host being only too happy to join him. Sure, the "broken shower needing repair" scenario is somewhat contrived and yet the short itself ends way too soon, given we do not get to see if anything develops between the two men, thereafter. Too sudden a cut-to-black for many and given the final frame to be had, in more ways, than one. That said and laced with a lush "accidental touch" scene of the man-on-man kind, this makes for a beautifully played piece, even if the sexual orientation of the two men has been deliberately left to your interpretation.  ›› Workout - Entrenamiento a short film written and directed by Marco Berger. starring: Jorge Carossia and Fede Guasch. 17 mins | the half monty. Official Synopsis: "two muscular men 'sexting' pictures to some chicks, begin to shed their clothes and inhibitions." Dave says:- With a scenario one step away from gay porn, this erotic selection climaxes with the tale of two fitness fanatics who when not measuring their biceps and crotch encompassing waistlines, get off on sending semi-naked images of themselves to their female admirers who are likewise, doing the same. As expected and if by way to underline the heterosexual status of the two men, loads of straight sex talk is to be heard, only for the two men to and ever increasingly, get up close and personal with each other, as physical workouts give way to aching limbs being massaged all the way up to - well, you can guess where. Overflowing with testosterone and bulging briefs, let alone one of the hunks wanting to take a picture of his best friend's erection - "for the girls" (er, yes), is it any surprise that here we find Jorge Carossia aka "Alejandro" from the gay hardcore feature "Latin Lover Amateurs #1" removing his clothes, as the "hot guy on the left of photo." Only and as before, Berger plays with his audience, teasing them right to the end over whether or not "all" is about to be revealed. ›› Summary:- With a background in the adult film industry, filmmaker Marcelo Mónaco was in many ways the perfect partner to work alongside noted Argentinean director Marco Berger of Plan B and Absent fame to create this seamless mix of short films, designed to make and cue the official description - your crotch stir a bit. Then again, Berger was already a master of the medium itself; having cut his erotic teeth by way of his 2008 debut works The Clock and A Last Wish, right up to his five shorts compilation feature of varied sexuality, that is Cinco / 2010. No surprise then and with a bevy of cuties both in and more often than not out of their shorts, homoeroticism defines this sexy anthology of short films. Heavy in erotic intensity without a genuine gay sex scene to be had, here both directors delight in the sexually ambiguous setup of the piece, given many a work plays with acts of male bonding that and depending upon the mind of the beholder, can be viewed in either hetero / homo light. As ever and as with all collections of this nature, some of the shorts on offer are better than others, although that said the standard is universally good. All of which makes for a sensuous mix of six scintillating stories for the boys, as an ensemble cast of "seemingly straight" characters set about trying to relieve their sexual tension - with each other. Seductively entertaining, goes without saying. Gay Visibility - homoerotic.  Nudity - the full monty.  Overall - file under ... 3+ stars.  ›› Available to buy from Amazon.com. ›› Available to buy from Amazon.co.uk. Copyright 2013 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #2013010 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹