Review of Nico and Dani (2000) by Jessica W — 06 Aug 2008

I find it interesting how very few of the other reviews (here at FB, that is) discuss this movie as a "gay film". Quite simply, I am very, very pleased with this.

Because it's not especially a "gay" movie, even though much of the subtext deals with issues about conflicting sexuality. This film is universal: its themes are universal, its characters are universal, and this small snapshot of two lives (Nico's and Dani's, that is) is very real and relatable. We have never been them, but their feelings and complex thoughts are understandable and intriguing throughout the film.

And to speak from the "romance" angle, here's a movie that's both romantic and heart-breaking, but it never makes you irreparably sad, or leaves you in the dark. There is no completely wrapped up 100% Finished ending, which feels like real life, and mirrors the title characters' ongoing paths and story together. It never ends, only continues, beyond what we see in these 90 minutes. This is a sweet, pleasant ending because we as an audience are given a chance to see a movie break free of our age-old expectations, with surprises and turns that are not deceiving or manipulative. As said, the ending is not what one has come to expect, from years of Hollywood teaching us (*especially* in several of the less-remarkable "gay" films) that there's only one real plotline: Boy meets boy/girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after. This film takes a different path, and ultimately winds up with a more appropriate, but comfortable and natural fate.