Strapped

At first I thought, cheap street boy. Then it became a series of turns that made the film come to life! Wonderful characters all different but yet the same.

It's amazing how some of the best movies in any given year have been accomplished on very low budgets, but through sheer craft and artistry, easily best 99% of Hollywood productions. Strapped is a case in point. The lead character, a young male hustler, services a client in a non-descript urban apartment complex. Strangely, he seems unable to find his way out of the Kafkaesque building, repeatedly running into different sorts of gay males who want to sample his wares. Each of the successive clients seems to represent a different pathway of the gay lifestyle, posing many questions and conundrums along the way. Some are ridiculously closeted, stuck in false, married lives. Some are very liberated, but strangely unhappy. Different sexual tastes are contrasted: aggressive, anal passive, bizarre things. In the end the protagonist overcomes his own gay demons by allowing himself true romantic affection, perhaps. The symbolism reminds me of the fine poem by Henri Cole, entitled Homosexuality, where the gay life is symbolized as a duck stuck in a chimney! The great strength of Strapped lay in its fine dialogue and characterization. The script is dotted with literary and poetic allusions and various gay homages. The fantastic artistry is made evident by more than just the frame trope of the labyrinth, but also much other symbolism and subtext along the way. For instance, the metallic griffin stolen from the first client seems to symbolize sexual liberation. There is some fine directing skill at work too. In one scene, their is a vessel put to trap leaking rain water, and the elapsement of time is shown by empty and full shots. Most importantly, the lead actor is exceedingly loveable. The only negative I might find about the movie is some of the graphic sexual content, but I guess that comes with the territory. Plus a sort of goofy poem in the last scene. Altogether, Strapped is a charming, thoughtful movie that should be watched by anyone who is gay or simply curious about alternative lifestyles.

The reviews for this film were so mixed and uncommitted that I honestly don't know why I went ahead and watched it. But I am very glad I did.It does have some sexually explicit scenes, but if you're looking to be turned on, try something else. But if you are wanting to see a nicely done movie that makes you think a bit about gay sexuality, but without getting too hyper-political-social-conscious, then this is a great choice.It was easy for me to stay focused with (which is a fairly strong endorsement, cause I tend to check out early if a movie isn't cutting it).and like I said it presented some perspectives on some ideas that I hadn't considered.no spoilers... it's essentially a story of a young man who is a free lance hooker. Some situations come up that cause one to think about the whole separation of sexual intimacy from emotional intimacy.... but this film does so very artfully... as there is no sense of moral message or shaming about living with that sort of freedom of sexual expression.Even though it makes you think a bit about it all... it doesn't become a cerebral work out..I won't say that this is an absolute MUST see, but if you're in one of those indecisive modes and you like gay cinema... give this one a try!!

This was a good movie, it was a good movie, but a bit disjointed, the overall theme of the movie was not clear until the last scene. There were moments in the movie where you were left wondering what was going on, but it came together in the end. I could not give it 5 stars because I think it could have been written so that the audience would not be left hanging up until the last scene. It was okay, but not stellar.

This was a deep movie. I watched it for the first time, tonight, and already gave it 5 stars. Very well done. One young man (Ben Bonenfant), hustling, to make money, connects with several men throughout the movie, and fulfills their wishes. He is in it only for the money, and it seems like nothing can change him. However, the last man he 'tricks' with in that late night, Gary (played by Nick Frangione), ends up lighting a spark in him. It becomes the real thing. Nick Fragione was very convincing as Gary. Gary sets eyes on the hustler early in the movie, during a party with 3 other men, and realizes that the man of his dreams just walked into his life. When the hustler leaves the party, Gary leaves a minute later, almost teary eyed, possibly realizing that he let the man of his dreams slip away. But the 2 connect again later in the movie, in what becomes a convincing scene. Gary wanted his soul touched by the hustler, and it seems like that happened for both of them. Initially, my first reaction is that I did not like the movie. but as I watched it to the end, the movie transformed, and I started to appreciate it. That is a rare thing for me, since it takes several viewings to appreciate a movie. This movie had a very positive and wishful ending. A very pleasant change, from a lot of gay movies where one of the main characters dies at the end. I enjoyed the music video that was included on this dvd. I liked the song very much... "Tomorrow's so Yesterday". Well done. it connects the dots to the movie. a simple hustler, in it for the money, that finally connects with another guy, for intimacy. 5 stars!!

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The blurb on the box says this: "A routine trick propels a tall, dark, cynical hustler (the strikingly handsome newcomer Ben Bonenfant) into a series of life-changing encounters in this stunningly photographed drama. But this amicable and sexually efficient rent boy begins to look at himself differently when he finds himself lost in a maze-like apartment building. On his journey through the building, he tricks with a variety of johns; sex is the commodity, but out of that comes raw, unguarded emotions for all. Witty, sexy and touching, Strapped is an unforgettable look into one young man's journey to understanding."As the hustler visits each new apartment, he looks around and talks to the trick for a few moments, and then changes his name, story and personality to fit the new situation. He tells each man that he never turns the same trick twice, but always goes on to someone new.The entire film revolves around a verbal exchange in the second apartment. Three men sit looking at the hustler standing before them. One does not believe him and asks, "Who are you (really)? He replies with a quotation from the French writer Michel Foucault: "I am an agent of desire. Do not ask me who I am, and do not ask me to remain the same." The point is that the hustler is the agent of his tricks' desires, becoming what they want him to be in order to answer their desires. With each new trick he learns more. Do not ask him who he is because, as we see in his unguarded moments, he doesn't know himself--until his last encounter with the young poet. In the poem the poet is inspired to write after their meeting, he says his longing is aimed at the hustler and then reflected back to himself. Only now with the poet, when he finds true intimacy, does the hustler learn who he really is, and that he can at last remain the same.This is a highly intelligent and subtle reworking of the hustler-turning-tricks plot familiar to gay films and literature. Ben Bonenfant as The Hustler does a bang-up job with the acting he must do. He is, as he tells us in the Bonus Features, a straight actor playing a gay hustler who is constantly changing personalities.Strapped bears watching more than once. Each time you see it you will find new depths of meaning. Strapped ranks with Private Romeo as the best gay movies I have seen.On the DVD along with Strapped is the short film Screen Test. A male model comes to a studio to be photographed. The interaction between the model and the photographer is tender and sweet, and shows what can be done with a gay film in seven minutes.

Ce film est un des meilleur parmi les films gay que j'ai eu l'occasion de voir. Les situations,dialogues et mise en scène sont.parfaits, évidents. Le scénario est surtout intéressant quand on comprend ce qu'il signifie sur le plan symbolique:par exemple cette maison d'où le héros ne peut sortir est semblable au labyrinthe de notre vie. Ainsi ce film peut se regarder à deux niveaux. Quant à l'interprétation elle est exceptionnelle pour tous les acteurs. Mention spéciale toutefois pour Ben Bonenfant qui peut instantanément d'un regard, d'une expression nous faire comprendre ce que le personnage vit et ressent. C'est un très grand acteur que j'aimerais beaucoup revoir encore dans un autre film.

A film well worth seeing. Very along the lines of those black and white detective films where the victim is seen as a completely different person by each of the persons interviewed - depending on their relationship with the victim or their own personal circumstances. In this case it is the opposite in that it is the (variously named) protagonist who becomes different for the characters he meets in the building. It takes him a few minutes after the introduction to discern exactly who he is supposed to be for the person paying the money. It is a twist that works very well.I wondered how the director could pull off having a person `lost' in a building but in reality he does it very well and very believably so as one visit forms the basis of the next one. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone with a reflective mind. If you are looking for gratuitous groping then this is not for you.

Gay-Movies, also schwule Filme, sind nicht immer meine Welt. Okay, den ein oder anderen habe ich im Regal stehen, aber ich kaufe mir selten einen neu erschienenen. Erstens sind die, aus meiner Sicht, zu teuer und zweitens versprechen die Produzenten in den Cover-Texten meist mehr, als an Inhalt und Handlung dann tatsächlich zu sehen ist. Und drittens nervt mich, dass das ganze schwule Leben immer wieder durch den Witz-Kakao gezogen wird und natürlich Sex nie fehlen darf, dazu noch wenig erotisch in Szene gesetzter! Ein Gay-Movie ohne Sex scheint von vornherein beim Zuschauer ein Flopp zu sein.Bei Amazon wurde ich auf STRAPPED aufmerksam und las die Kritiken im Internet. Überzeugend, also her mit der DVD.Netter, junger Mann, der vorn auf dem Cover zu sehen ist ;-) Die Bilder auf der Rückseite zeigen viel nacktes Fleisch, aber ich kann jene Leser gleich wieder auf den Boden zurück holen, die sich nun lange Dödel und viel 'detailliertes Rummachen' von dem Film versprechen. STRAPPED ist kein Porno! Wobei...'körperliches Miteinander' ;-)ist schon in ausreichender Menge zu sehen (Der Film ist FSK 16!) und wer Fantasie hat, dem werden diese Szenen auch ohne eindeutige Bilder gefallen. Vielleicht auch gerade deshalb ;-)Ein junger Stricher, der den Sex mit Männern genießt, begleitet einen Kunden nach Hause. Nach der Nummer findet er zunächst nicht aus dem Haus heraus, trifft immer wieder auf neue Bewohner, die verschiedenste Gründe haben, ihn in ihr Appartement einzuladen. In STRAPPED ist der Sex ein Hilfsmittel, der Höhepunkt (in zweifacher Weise), der zum Ende jeden Besuchs obligatorisch zu sein scheint, zugleich aber auch immer wieder vom verführerischen Escort-Boy provoziert wird. Wird er aus dem Haus herausfinden???Eine schöne Geschichte hat Joseph Graham da inszenieren können und erstaunlicherweise ist es ein Streifen, bei dem man den Darstellern bei ihren Unterhaltungen lauschen möchte, weil sie etwas (Sinnvolles) zu sagen haben, was aber auch den Zuschauer anspricht und zum Nachdenken bringt.Ich war immer wieder überrascht, mit welcher Intensität die Figuren ihre Rollen spielten und wie glaubwürdig die einzelnen Szenen rüber kamen, auch wenn es eine verfilmte Parabel ist.STRAPPED ist nicht einer von den Gay-Movies, die ich anfangs beschrieb, er ist unterhaltsam, abwechslungsreich, fast schon anspruchsvoll, auf eine gewisse Art und Weise auch spannend, nämlich wenn der Zuschauer sich fragt, wem der junge, sympathische Unbekannte mit den vielen Namen als nächstem begegnen und was er dann erleben wird.FAZIT:Endlich mal 95 Minuten Unterhaltung, die ich mir nicht 'nebenher' angeschaut habe (ansonsten arbeite ich fast immer dabei), weil der Film mich fesselte. Schön! Das muss ich in meinen Blog und bei Amazon schreiben und STRAPPED empfehlen...ZUSATZ:Fast hätten einige Script-Continuity-Fehler und die doch recht schlichte Ausstattung des Films einen Stern in der hiesigen Bewertung gekostet, aber halt...sind wir wirklich schon so verwöhnt, von den dreistelligen Millionen-Produktionssummen Hollywoods, dass wir nicht mehr erkennen können oder wollen, dass auch Einfachheit manchmal den Charme eines Films ausmachen kann? ;-) Zudem, es passt zu STRAPPED und fiel mir erst hinterher, beim Schreiben der Rezension, deutlicher auf.Also, mit gutem Gewissen kann ich schreiben:Kaufen, Mitnehmen, genießen...