No doubt the most romantic gay-themed film to be released in years, Steve Balderson's "Sex Love Venice" tells the story of Michael, played by cute-as-a-button Daniel Bateman, who visits the Italian city of Venice to heal from a bad breakup.
While there he meets Marco (sexy Alexander Ananasso), who turns out to be the love of his life. It's a story that's been told before, but rarely has it been told with so much erotic tension.
Venice itself becomes a character in the film as Michael and Marco walk along its waterfront streets, sit in its cafes, and embrace atop its bridges. Rarely has a film made a city look more radiant.
As the story begins, Michael is at home in the USA, waking up on a sunny morning. The radio is on, and he listens to a young man named Jack (Jason Caceres) bemoaning the fact that gay men become "invisible" in the community once they turn thirty. Jack sounds like he's looking for a meaningful relationship, but when he hooks up with Michael a few days later he's cold and standoffish.
"I'd like to see you again," says Michael.
"Why?" replies Jack. "We already fucked."
Michael is in fact very caught up in the hook-up culture. He keeps picking up one trick after another, even though these encounters leave him feeling lonely and depressed.
"Are you almost done?" one trick asks him. "Because I have a class."
Michael confides to his best friend (Suzanna Akins) and his therapist (Fahad Alhumaid) about how empty he feels and about how hurt he still is from his breakup, which occurred the year before. Michael's mom (Mink Stole) comes up with the perfect solution: take a trip to Venice, which she will pay for, Michael agrees, and two of his friends accompany him.
Once they get to Venice, the whole tone of the film changes. Michael walks the streets of the city, taking it all in. The city is of course dazzlingly beautiful, the perfect place to fall in love. But old habits die hard, and Michael immediately peruses a hookup app. That's how he meets Marco.
They meet for coffee. Marco is like no other man Michael has ever met. He speaks perfect English in a slightly accented voice, talking eloquently about the meaning of love. At first he doesn't let Michael kiss him, suggesting that they savor the pleasures of anticipation.
Marco takes Michael and his friends on a tour of the city. Then Michael and Marco begin having a series of dates, alone. They walk the streets of Venice, they sip coffee in its cafes, they visit its bookstores, as Marco talks about what "a living, breathing work of art" the city is. He continues to keep things platonic, though they do embrace a few times.
"I want to kiss you so badly," Michael says.
"Let's enjoy the magic of waiting," Marco replies.
"I don't live here," Michael tells Marco. "And I'm leaving next week. I don't want to leave Venice with any regrets."
And so they go to Marco's place. It's an experience unlike anything Michael has had before. They don't fuck, they make love, during which Marco whispers to Michael that he should pay attention to his five senses. The love scenes are intense, erotic. This is so much more than just a hookup.
But even before they go to bed, "Sex Love Venice" has an erotic tension that few films ever had, and the two leads are the reason why. Bateman and Ananasso have enormous onscreen chemistry, both as individuals and as a couple. At times it's hard to believe that these are just two actors playing at being in love because their onscreen love appears absolutely authentic. The film's operatic score adds to the story's romanticism.
The film also makes some insightful observations about the hookup culture that's so prevalent in the gay male community. Are these kinds of encounters really good for our emotional health? Balderson's screenplay invites the audience to think about this question.
"Sex Love Venice" is being released on Valentine's Day. It's the perfect day to release this sensual, sexual, and deeply romantic film.
'Sex Love Venice,' 102 minutes. Streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play and Fandango at Home. www.dikenga.com
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