a short film by Martin Busker 2007 | 15 mins | Germany ›› HerzHaft a thought-provoking work on the adolescent heart. Well-executed and enacted throughout, this controversial short film from Germany charts the sexual relationship between a football coach and one the team players. Yet unlike such features as Sherry Hormann's Balls or Róbert I Douglas' Eleven Men Out, the narrative here has nothing to do with homophobia in the so-called beautiful game. Rather writer and director Martin Busker weaves his tale around coach Ralf's illicit relationship with a member of the local youth team, namely gay teen Felix and an adolescent heart clearly in love with both the sport and his mentor. That Felix's mother is all but certain to discover the true nature of their friendship adds to the poignancy of the mix, with her demands that Ralf stays clear of his son and the other young men in the club, otherwise she will out him to the police, paving the way for a conclusion that should arrive as no surprise. Or does it? Given here Busker plays with his audience, leaving the identity of who prompted the action that ensured open to question, in a work that in detailing the pain of rejection, contrasts a mother's refusal to accept her son's homosexuality, with a man all too knowledgeable of the fact, having found himself torn between reason, longing and love. A thought-provoking work, indeed. Gay Visibility - overt.  Nudity - strictly from the waist up.  Overall - file under ... 3+ stars.  available on DVD as part of the Wenn Mutti wüsste release starring: Tommaso Cacciapuoti / Ralf, Ferdinand Hanisch / Felix, Johanna Niedermüller / Felix's Mother and Bettina Ernst as Bettina. official website: www.herzhaft-film.com Copyright 2011 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #414 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹