Los Placeres Ocultos (1977)

Eduardo (Simón Andreu) is a middle-aged successful banker and closeted homosexual who falls for Miguel (Tony Fuentes) a poor handsome 18 year-old Spanish boy who's heterosexual. Eduardo brings Miguel into his life although the physical attraction is only one way. Miguel is accepting of the situation and Eduardo manages to get himself involved in his life through a series of manipulative moves. The boy is thankful for his new job and motorcycle, but once he realizes the gifts are an attempt to get inside his pants, the friendship is brought to a halt--that is until some "fag-bashers" rob the banker and Miguel realizes that he cares. The two then agree to a Platonic, father and son-like relationship, which proves beneficial to all involved. Miguel even brings his hot tempered girlfriend into the arrangement. Local gossip and prejudice make it a bit hard to maintain, though. The three seem to be working it out when the realities of the outside world intrude. It's tragic with devastating consequences for the young man.

This complex updating of "Death in Venice" was the first gay film to be released in post-Franco Spain. It's a compelling drama, an intelligent and insightful look at cross-generational love and a doomed relationship. Director Eloy de la Iglesia links sexual power to financial power by implying that Eduardo’s influence as a bank manager allows him to corrupt boys. There is also a Marxist sentiment when Miguel tells an activist that he won’t let anyone take advantage of him, and the activist responds that he basically has more things to worry about than the gays: “Maybe you’ve been selling more important things and don’t even know it.” Carmelo A. Bernaola composed the music score, and the screenplay was written by director Eloy de la Iglesia and Rafael Sánchez Campoy. In Spanish with no subtitles. The English title is ”Hidden Pleasures”.

Echte Kerle (1996)

Christoph Schwenk (Christoph M. Ohrt) is a macho homophobic plainclothes police detective in Frankfurt who does stakeouts spying on criminals with his partners Mike (Oliver Stokowski) and Helen (Carin C. Tietze). One night Christoph finds his fiancée with another lover, a bodybuilder. He loses her, along with all of his belongings, and his home, and is thrown out of their apartment. After a massive car wreck, he gets very drunk in a gay bar and wakes up in the morning in the bed of the cute and naked Edgar (Tim Bergmann), a gay auto mechanic. The big question that torments Christoph is did he or didn't he. Confused at what led him to Edgar's bed and what he may have done, the straight but homeless Christoph takes up Edgar’s offer and moves in with him.

Edgar deals in stolen cars, and Christoph is not pleased that Edgar has fallen in love with him. Working with the beautiful, self-confident Helen, but living with a gay guy makes him uncertain about his sexuality and his job as a cop. Helen is also attracted to him. But rumors fly at the office because he has been seen with the gay car-dealer. The best scene in the movie takes place at the police station, when two other officers try to out Christoph as gay. He answers, "In this funhouse where one is beating his wife, the next one is blackmailing thieves, and the third is having sex with illegal immigrant girls. In this funhouse, I will play the gay one from now on." Edgar's weekend lover Marco (Andreas Pietschmann) causes Christoph to question his surprising jealousy. The three police officers become friendly with Edgar and Marco and when it seems they may be involved in the car theft ring under stakeout, they each find it easier to look the other way and support each other.

Though Edgar's mother expresses the motto of the film ("These days, everything is possible isn't it?"), the end is not a happy one for gay viewers hoping that Christoph will fall in love with Edgar. On the contrary, the sudden ending pairs off the various members of this story in a warm and funny way in a manner some may find predictable. Christoph gets Helen, and Edgar goes off with a guy who had been only a minor character in the film.

This lively romantic comedy of sexual errors is witty, funny, light, entertaining, insightful, well-paced, and features good acting with a message. It's filled with humor and sensitivity, is slickly creative, and the characters are not stereotypes. Peter W. Schmitt composed the music score. The screenplay was written by Rudolf Bergmann and Rolf Silber, who also directed. In German with English subtitles. The English title is "Regular Guys".