a short film by Grímur Hákonarson 2007 | 21 mins | Iceland ›› Wrestling - Bræðrabylta love within the macho world of Glima male wrestling. For those hoping for some homoerotic styled man-on-man wrestling here, then I’m sorry to disappoint you, for this Scandinavian tale is anything but sexy. Indeed if this is an accurate reflection of Nordic times, then the rural fields of Iceland are in urgent need of some tender loving care, gay style. For that would greatly aid star of the show Denni, namely a championship wrestler who has grown tired of sharing the man he loves, with his wife. Only Denni has a lot more on his mind. A tunnel engineer by day, but carer to his invalid mother by night, his only means of escape from the grim reality of his life are in the arms of Einar, a man now being asked to choose between his male lover or that of his wife, child and farm. Only when Denni’s mother dies, it is he who must decide whether to leave the man he loves behind. As far removed from the theatrical presentation of American wrestling as you can get, this earnest piece vividly depicts the inner turmoil of two men grappling with expressing their love for each other within the macho world of Glima male wrestling. Yet with the sole eye-candy, if not emotion to be found on the wrestling / tunnelling sidelines, the result is a work that comes across as cold as an Icelandic weather front, neither of the men rejoicing in their love affair; rather burdened by it. That this story has a homosexual heart, is not in doubt. Sadly writer and director Grímur Hákonarson has forgotten to give it a smile. Gay Visibility - overt.  Nudity - bare-arsed cheek.  Overall - file under ... 2+ stars.  available on DVD as part of the Peccadillo Pictures catalogue 'Boys on Film 4: Protect Me from What I Want' release 26.04.2010 starring: Halldór Gylfason / Denni, Björn Ingi Hilmarsson / Einar, María Gudmundsdóttir / Denni’s mother and Gudlaug Elisabet Ólafsdóttir as Einar’s wife. Copyright 2010 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #333 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹