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Can two people be madly in love and desire different things from each other? Can liberation have different meanings to these individuals? Director Dennis Alink’s Netherland-based queer drama Out is about two young boys in love and how their lives change when they move out of their conservative hometown to live the glitzy gay life in Amsterdam.
In what must be an affirming scene in Out, you observe the new-in-town Tom (Bas Keizer) being worried about the Film History class the night before. The more extroverted of the two, Ajani (Jefferson Yaw Frempong-Manson) – while enjoying his time at a party – decides to call in sick the next day. Introversion also forces Tom to be given a talk by his film school. “You are not connecting,” allege they, and the lad is forced to give up his passion. We observe how Alink paints a concrete arc for Tom concerning his vision to become a director. From looking down upon his mates to attempting unsuccessfully to befriend a shoot crew member, the guy knows his strengths and weaknesses.
Now, there’s only so much one can do in relationships, says the film. Much like Tom’s sensibility in filmmaking, Out refuses to present his mindscape with dialogue. The guy – whether he is happy, excited, or distraught – conveys every emotion through his evocative face. Actor Bas Keizer is a highly watchable talent who is sure to go places. Lending him able support is Jefferson Yaw Frempong-Manson, who lets us look at his somewhat unlikeable Ajani through a practical lens. There’s no villain in Alink’s film – it’s just about two lovers with different approaches to life. The intensity of their chemistry stands wonderfully captured when they kiss. The DOP (Thomas van der Gronde), through his black-and-white lenses, makes us feel the connection. The decision to shoot it in monochrome might as well be allegoric to the Ingmar Bergman-loving Tom’s sensibilities. In an astutely written and gorgeously filmed sequence toward the finale, we see the guy come of age – although in a way we never thought he would.
The filmmaker decides to end Out ends on a very satisfying note for all parties, viewers included. So much so that it felt personal. The opening and closing sequences draw a parallel with similar setups and camera angles whilst Keize’s eloquent face does all the talking with nearly no lines. Although never as tragic as Timothee Chalamet’s finale shot in Call Me By Your Name, the approach and the execution landed in a similar feeling within me.
Rating: ★★★★
