Tobi (Robert Stadlober) and Achim (Kostja Ullmann) have been best friends for years and are convinced that nothing will ever stand in the way of their friendship. As cox and oarsman, they have led their rowing club to win several rowing cups in the past, and are looking forward to win a big regatta in the countryside of Germany. But problems soon arise. As Achim's relationship with his girlfriend Sandra (Miriam Morgenstern), who's also on the team, grows more and more serious, Tobi starts to realize that his feelings for Achim run much deeper than he's willing to admit to himself. He feels confused, unsure of himself, and increasingly left out by the team. When Sandra's best friend Anke (Alicja Bachleda-Curuś) shows her interest in him, his anxiety starts to grow. When it turns out that the Berlin girls' team has been replaced by a team of athletic, cliché-bursting young gay men, Tobi and his teammates are suddenly forced to grapple with their prejudices, fears, and hidden longings. The Queerschlag ("Queerstrokes"), are a gay youth rowing team, out of the closet and proud of it. Spurned by Achim, Tobi is devastated, but is consoled by his new friendship with Queerschlag member Leo (Marlon Kittel). The tension between the two teams culminates in a scene set to the backdrop of a summer storm, during which Leo confronts Tobi about his homosexuality in front of his fellow team-mates. Tobi denies being gay, and one of his team-mates tells Anke to tell the rest of his team. Anke, the only person to whom Tobi has confided his secret, remains silent. Ultimately, Tobi comes out to his fellow team-mates, and his rowing team and Queerschlag go on to compete in the final regatta.
This award-winning German coming-of-age film (yes, another gay coming-of-age film) has a great soundtrack, including the smash hit "Willkommen" from the German duo Rosenstolz. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote, "Summer Storm nicely captures the awkward confusion of first-time sexual encounters (gay or straight) and the collateral wounds caused by deceiving others and oneself." The screenplay was written by Thomas Bahman and Marco Kreuzpaintner, who also directed. The English title is "Summer Storm".
