Movie Review - No Hard Feelings (Outfest 2020)

This film premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, earlier this year, where it won the Teddy Award for best LGBTQ-themed feature film. The narrative focuses on three, young Persian immigrants who are now living in Germany. It's about the issues concerning young immigrants and the intersection of homosexuality in Persian culture. Given that Iran is a very homophobic country where gay people have absolutely no rights and can be punished by death, films about the subject by people in that country is impossible. Fictions like Circumstance (2011) and documentaries like Alex & Ali (2015) underscore why and how difficult it is for Iranians to be gay and how afraid a gay Iranian would feel. When it comes to Iranian immigrants, that fear in one way or another would also travel. Director and co-writer Faraz Shariat in his feature debut attempts to show various aspects of that fear or at least two different perspectives.

Benny Radjaipour stars as Parvis Joon, a young man who looks as if he might be college age. Yet, it doesn't seem as if he's in college. He's Iranian, but he lives in Germany and it seems as if he's lived in Germany for a while, at least long enough to become fluent in the German language. It's obvious that he is gay. He still lives at home with his family and it appears that his family knows about his homosexuality. Yet, whatever fear or negative emotion about his gay identity doesn't seem like it's something he faces on a regular or at least daily basis. He seems to live an openly gay life in Germany. Things change when he gets into trouble and has to serve 120 hours of community service at a refugee shelter. The shelter houses Iranian immigrants and Parvis has to do odd jobs, including translating for Iranian immigrants who don't yet know German.

Eidin Jalali co-stars as Amon, one of the Iranian immigrants at the shelter. He seems around the same age as Parvis. He notices Parvis, just as all the boys of his age notice Parvis. He notices how openly gay Parvis is. The boys at the shelter laugh and tease Parvis, which causes Parvis to turn down what flamboyance he has. Amon clearly identifies with him and is the only boy to talk to Parvis without snickering or sneering. Amon has an interest and possibly attraction, but he dare not reveal it to the boys at the shelter who have become his friends or anyone else because Amon is fresh from Iran and that fear is fresh of what can happen to gay men in Iran, so it makes Amon want to stay in the closet, keeping his same-sex attraction hidden.

Banafshe Hourmazdi also co-stars as Banafshe, the sister to Amon who has traveled here with him. She's acclimating to her new country well. She goes to parties. She's having fun. She befriends Parvis and picks up on his sexuality. She doesn't have a problem with it. She even encourages affection between the boys, not necessarily knowing about her brother, but, because ironically, Iranian men, as a lot of cultures, can be physically affectionate without implying same-sex attraction. Cheek kisses between men is common and Banafshe points that out. It's weird though how in certain circumstances people encourage things that identify more with Iranian culture and other things that push away from Iranian culture, especially around the focal point of human intimacy, friendships and sex.

As with the intersection of the two identities of being gay and being an immigrant, the tension comes with either being found out one's sexual desire or being deported. Both become a possibility as well. In the meantime, Shariat does some compelling things with his camera. For starters, the whole thing is shot in Academy ratio or 1.37. Instead of the widescreen image that we're used to seeing with typical HD video, Shariat's film is more square. This is particularly effective with showing the closeness and separation between subjects in the frame. For example, there is a bathtub scene where Shariat is able to frame Parvis and Amon in a way that makes them seem closer and more intimate. In another scene between Parvis and his mother, Shariat is able to frame them to make them seem so far apart.

Shariat clearly has a great, cinematic eye. He also has a very in depth grasp of mise en scene and how to place things in the frame for maximum impact. Whether he's selling how humans connect or how they are disconnected, his spatial capabilities are pretty superb, which make this film very sumptuous to watch. By the way, the title comes from a line of dialogue, which implies racism toward Arab or Persian men. The title could also be a double entendre about the homophobia regarding the male state of sexual arousal for certain things.

Not Rated but contains nudity and intense sexuality.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 32 mins.

Streamed through OutfestNow.