夏威夷2013

The Bottom Line
A house-sitter wants to get into the pants of the handsome handyman but that's easier said than done in this compelling drama.

The third feature of Argentinian director Marco Berger, a two-hander starring Manuel Vignau and Mateo Chiarino, is a solid home run.

The agony of unspoken same-sex desire is impressively prolonged to feature length in Hawaii, the third and by far most mature feature of Argentinian director Marco Berger.

Though it's a two-hander set primarily in one location for over 90 percent of its running time -- much like Berger’s debut, the low-budget, fluid sexuality-themed talkathon Plan B -- the 36-year-old filmmaker here displays a newfound finesse and confidence as a writer-director. The seemingly off-the-cuff conversations between a house-sitting hipster novelist and the handsome drifter he hires to do odd jobs around the house benefit from a razor-sharp sense of direction and purpose, illuminating character and queer yearning as well as class and other socio-political issues. The increasingly erotically charged atmosphere, which never seems to translate into any action, practically becomes an inverted coitus interruptus, where the actual doing of the deed would interrupt the joy and innocence of the games of almost-foreplay, which is prolonged to almost unbearable length.

Beyond the attention of the LGBT niche circuit of festivals and distribution, which is virtually guaranteed after Berger's Plan B and its follow-up, the Berlinale Teddy award winner, Absent, this is also a good fit for indie-loving festivals such as Thessaloniki, where Hawaii recently played as part of its focus on contemporary cinema from Argentina.

Hawaii most closely resembles Berger's 2012 short El Primo from the anthology Sexual Tension: Volatile. In both films, two young men are thrown together over the summer in someone else's house -- cue little clothing and lots of pool-time -- and the desire of one to make a move on the other is suspended by reticence and apprehension from the interested party; the unclear sexual orientation of the object of desire and, most importantly, the realization that what's truly erotic is not any physical act of but the moments before it, when every dream scenario is still possible.

The bearded and bespectacled Eugenio (Manuel Vignau, from Plan B), a scruffily handsome thirtysomething from Argentina's well-off middle class, has moved into the house of his (unseen) uncle so he can look after it for the summer and at the same time work on his novel in peace. When the younger Martin (square-jawed Uruguayan actor Mateo Chiarino) comes knocking on his door to ask him for some summer yard work, the duo realize they used to play together in childhood in the same neighborhood and Martin's hired straight away to do odd jobs around the house.

What Martin doesn't dare tell Eugenio is that he's actually homeless and sleeping in the park, though by the time Eugenio finds out, the two have spent enough time together for Eugenio to suggest Martin sleep in the house's shed. The house-sitter might have an ulterior motive for keeping his worker close: In an early scene, in which Martin takes a shower in Eugenio's house after a sweaty day of work, the latter's impatiently waiting outside the bathroom door with its translucent window, with its suggestive, flesh-colored shapes behind it, suggesting what will become increasingly clear over the course of the film: Eugenio would like nothing more than being manhandled by the help.

Some gay audiences might describe the film as a 100-minute cock-tease while others might find Hawaii's earnest tone laughable or pretentious, or both, but Berger has to be commended for taking a set-up that would normally be associated with the first minute or two of a porno and spinning it into something of feature length, which allows him to explore ideas of the gay male gaze and desire as well as more complex issues, especially of class (Martin's not only much poorer and a little younger than Eugenio but also foreign-sounding, much less experienced and more prone to being exploited, all conflicting feelings that fuel Martin's hesitation as much as his shyness or worry about Martin's unknown sexual proclivities).

As in Absent, there's a lush orchestral score (courtesy of Pedro Irusta, who also produced) that frequently overstates the case, though thankfully it mostly disappears when the dynamics heat up and Berger allows the pregnant silences to tell part of the story. The rest of the craft credits are unpretentious but slick.

Venue: Thessaloniki Film Festival (Contemporary Argentine Cinema)
Production companies: La Noria Cine
Cast: Manuel Vignau, Mateo Chiarino, Manuel Martinez Sobrado
Writer-Director: Marco Berger

Producers: Pedro Irusta, Marco Berger

Director of photography: Tomas Perez Silva
Production designers: Pedro Irusta, Marco Berger 

Music: Pedro Irusta

Editor: Marco Berger

Sales: Media Luna Films
No rating, 100 minutes.

     作为一名弯哥，又在阿根廷生活了那么久，看完这个片子，有一种不得不说的冲动。
    影片本身就不提了，看得着急。到最后也没有激情的或是露肉的场景，但在那舒缓的节奏，超低成本的制作，还有那不知道主题的指向，还有菠萝到底象征什么，以及影片题目的莫名其妙的各种不利因素的夹击下，我还是在深夜一口气看完。
    现在身处这北半球高纬度地区漫长的夜，想念那南半球的温暖。手机滑过,汉堡这周全都是下雪的天气预报，看到布宜诺斯艾利斯高达35°的高温，看着影片中小哥们并非健美却是诱人的身材，回忆又开始了。
    字幕翻译的还不错，许多阿根廷的俚语都翻译的很到位。只有有一个地方：EUGENIO的哥哥说 “你难道要带他去布市的帕勒莫买衣服么？”字幕组注释说这里是意大利的一个旅游胜地。其实不是，Palermo其实一个中上层阶级街区，是布市年轻人活动的场所，也很时尚。周末晚上随便在哪个街角行走，都是一股大麻的异香。
    那些可爱的阿根廷口音啊，真是熟悉。阿根廷人觉得自己是一类人，其他拉美国家是另一种人。他们的用词和发音和其他西语国家有着渭晋之别。比方说，影片中颇有象征意义和线索意义的道具——菠萝，在阿根廷叫ananá，在其他西语国家叫piña。
    那种身上惯有的自我傲娇的属性真是可爱极了。影片中出现的三名男子，都是非常典型的阿根廷小哥的长相。他们绝大部分是意大利和西班牙的后裔，但却有比这两个欧洲国家的人长的更加的大气一些。或许是国土面积大？或许是物产丰富？
     阿根廷的小哥，长得难看的极少。但他们如片中的两位主角中那么含蓄么？据我所知，没有。他们倒是不会一见面就排山倒海的激情，往往都还有一个约会的过程，颇有古典的风范，但是也觉得不会暧昧那么久。
    另外值得一说的是。阿根廷人的同性友谊非常稳固，而且大家都非常重视。大家说道中学时代的好友，经常都是男生跟一帮男生，女生跟一帮女生。在街上逛街，经常可以看见几个小哥或者几个女孩一起看电影泡咖啡厅什么的。
    男生之间的身体接触也非常多，即便是在朋友之间。每天见面的贴面就不说了。他们之间的这种类似于兄弟间的情谊,可以作为一个阿根廷球类运动都很棒的一个注脚。我本身不喜欢集体体育运动，但是跟他们在一起就觉得很有感觉，有一种被支持的感觉。当然运动完之后更衣室的感觉也很棒。
    对待GAY。普遍很开放。而且那个界限也很模糊，许多人交了一辈子女朋友，突然开始认真的交往男朋友并且谈婚论嫁，还让我帮他们在中国收养孩子。有的人浅尝辄止，继续走异性恋的老路。
    影片发生的场所，我看得不仔细。但是是很典型的，阿根廷布市的中上层阶级的家里在布宜诺斯艾利斯大省区内都有一套暑假用的房子。阿根廷的水费和天然气费都是国家补贴的，非常便宜，所以大部分房子里的游泳池都是热水的，非常舒适。
    试想，夏末秋初时节。三五好友，全是马丁欧亨利奥一类的小哥，泡在温泉泳池里，喝啤酒，抽烟。院子里往往都种着几株大麻。在音乐声中，或沉醉或嬉笑。放佛全球化还没有到来，那里仍然是一个被遗忘的地方，事实上阿根廷也正被边缘化，但一切都好似那么美，不知今夕是何年。
    提供一些背景材料。呵呵，顺带自己怀旧。

原因有三：

1. 阻力。虽然这条线很淡，但却是这出“二人电影”最重要的冲突来源——雇佣关系造成障碍：雇主表白会显得伪善和霸道（欧亨尼奥哥哥一针见血）；雇工表白会显得像是出来卖的。所以两人一直都按兵不动，悄悄试探。欧亨尼奥拒绝马丁的吻，还问了句：“是因为那些画吗”，大约是感情迎面而来时本能的一种困惑不安（尤其是听了哥哥那番话以后）但又不想放弃；但这成了一个打到马丁脸上的耳光，接受衣食住行各方面施舍所积累的感激，因为主动出击的失败，统统转化成了无限的卑微感，无地自容。

2. 动力。童年共同回忆是冲破障碍的引子：一同游泳、射击，故地重游，将两人的好感越牵越远。而“两个菠萝”的幻灯片记忆，则在无言之中蕴含了所有的心思，冲破了最后一道隔阂。（结尾的挽回，你能想象到任何说辞能够比这解释得更透彻又不至于损害感情吗？）寻找、温习、修补幻灯片的过程，暗示着欧亨尼奥对马丁的眷念和对两人关系质变的认可。（p.s. 最后一段有没有让你想起05年的傲慢与偏见？）

3. 牛顿第八定律：physical attraction. e.g. 欧亨尼奥第二天焦急盼望的神情；马丁坐在汽车里时的尴尬脸红；以及两人各自的撑帐篷和背景虚化的丁丁


雇佣关系+童年回忆+相互吸引——这个搭配的巧妙之处在于，同性异性观众均能产生共鸣，但故事必然只可发生在两个男人之间。试想以下情况：
1. 男雇主+女雇工：强弱立判，更可能是恶俗的霸王硬上弓或曼哈顿女佣类型的chick flick；
2. 女雇主+男雇工：似乎更应该是“白人少女抛弃阶级划分与黑人奴隶私奔”或者包法利夫人之类的美式主旋律或女性主义故事。
3. 女雇主+女雇工？：想不出来...（还是出门右拐去看阿黛拉或指匠情挑吧）

配乐很古怪，但与电影的独特韵味相得益彰。管弦乐（？）带来一种复古、严肃、排外的感觉，如天空般罩在整个电影上方，调和了绿色、燥热与肉体可能产生的轻佻；迎合感的缺失反而将两人的感情发展凸显得更为难能可贵与值得回味。

前半段略带压迫感与紧张感的音乐似乎正好配合着雇主的性格与地位（欧亨尼奥眼里总带着一丝神经质的游离和恐慌）；后半段开始显得柔和深情，有一小段钢琴伴奏如画龙点睛，更有阳光入境，好像冰山在融化。

标题是幻灯片斑驳标签一般的“Hawaii”, 似乎照应着电影营造的封闭隔绝、宁静平和的“fairy wonderland”，两个男人的关系在童年纯真回忆的基础上越走越远。欧亨利奥为什么会喜欢上马丁？不知道是否是因为那双小鹿般的眼睛让他能抛弃过往经历的负担（扔掉的相册），重拾孩童的真诚与无畏（正如他创作中的小说）？

总之，这是一部格局不大，但值得细细品味的好电影。and god, I wanna be in a relationship!

      很多同志电影常常是两个男人以性开始相恋。夏威夷这部电影却是一部表现两个男人在不清楚对方的性取向的情况下，逐渐相恋的故事。这部电影拍得非常的细腻，整部电影对话极少，人物主要就两人，影片通过看似平淡的情节，不断互相的试探和微妙的表示，最终由两棵菠萝的连接达到了心灵的相通。
      两人的相遇是马丁到欧亨尼奥家找临活，马丁先认出了欧亨尼奥，当欧亨尼奥认出马丁时，脸上马上漾起了笑容。在泳池边，欧亨尼奥恍惚出神像在回忆，而马丁在那里不停的说着，但是电影这时却没有声音，这里让人禁不住会想象他们小时的情景。直到马丁说到两颗菠萝，才有声音，才突然把欧亨尼奥唤醒。影片在这里很巧妙的埋下了一个以菠萝作为童年情愫的象征。
       两人已分别最少十几年，再度相逢时，一个是作家，一个是居无定所的临时工。时间的隔离以及身份的差异，使两人有着很大的生分和距离，但是这些都不能阻止欧亨尼奥对马丁的日渐好感。趁马丁换衣服时偷看，借喝醉躺在马丁身边，而马丁也趁欧亨尼奥不在，偷穿欧亨尼奥的衣服，躺在欧亨尼奥的床上。当马丁腿上被铁丝划破时，欧亨尼奥极度的关心，并仔细的给马丁上药包扎带他去打针。在跟马丁比赛跑步时，欧亨尼奥故意让马丁摸他急促跳动的心脏。借口到布宜诺斯艾利斯办事，实际是去给马丁买了很多衣服，其中应该还有情侣短裤。这一系列的情节都让马丁明白，欧亨尼奥关心他，喜欢他。但是欧亨尼奥一直犹豫，因为他不能确定马丁是否也是同志，另一个原因就像他对他哥哥说的，他不能给了马丁一个工作就要马丁委身于自己。所以当马丁主动吻了他时，他拒绝了，他怕马丁是知道他是同志而讨好他，因为马丁看到了欧亨尼奥画的很多男性裸体画。
       当马丁生气离开后，欧亨尼奥却受不了了，他懂得了马丁的真心。他坐卧不安，没法工作，到处去寻找，不知该怎样找回马丁。突然耳边回响起马丁说的两颗菠萝，他才醒悟了，他立马翻箱倒柜地找出小时候的幻灯片，含有两颗菠萝的幻灯片把马丁召唤了回来，他们两人都明白了，他们要做一颗菠萝相伴在对方身边。这一刻，他们才微笑着亲吻在一起。
        这部电影非常耐看，两个男人之间的爱情也是这样的磨叽，充满柔情。每看一遍都会被那些小细节感动。其实同性之爱跟异性之爱没有什么差别，都是爱，都是那么美好。