"Silent Youth" is a German movie from 2012 that will have its 5th anniversary next year. Do not be fooled by the English title, it's all in the German language. The writer and director is Diemo Kemmesies and it is his most known work so far, but this means nothing because it is only his second work as a filmmaker. And it means especially nothing as this film here is not even a mediocre movie, it is a prime example of how everything went wrong and it's a massive failure as a result. The two actors Martin Bruchmann and Josef Mattes are certainly among the weakest components of the film. Both have horrendous line delivery and their acting in terms of physicality is just as bad as the robotic way in which they talk. No idea who agreed on casting them. Besides, the two have zero chemistry. The lack of range of the duo is also a prime example in Josef Mattes' case as he is the son of actress Eva Mattes that worked with Kinski, Herzog, Fassbinder and others, but her talent clearly did not pass on to her son. Back to this movie, maybe they thought if both suck maybe the audience will not realize it in a way they would if one of them is good and the other bad. This is especially painful as both of them are in basically every scene from start to finish. Acting is a fail with the exception of Linda Schüle who is actually fairly decent and makes the most of the little screen time she got.
Now the script. This is the story of two young men meeting and falling in love with each other. And this is basically it. References about a black eye and one character's father feel as fake and included just for the sake of it as the dramatic conflict between the two towards the end, which may have been the weakest moment of the film. It's all so generic. So predictable. So much of a failure. Now let me elaborate a bit on the word "offensive" in my title. This is a description that fits many gay-themed movies and has done so for 2 decades already maybe. Strangely enough back then when it really meant something dangerous to be a homosexual, people were not shoving this subject in our faces in terms of the quantity like it exists now in so many films. Gay-themed movies back in the 20th century, especially before 1990 existed because they had talent and class. And potential. And meaning and a message. Nowadays, gay films do not even have a plot. Them being gay is enough. There are no films that are about nothing but the couple in the center of the film being straight. It is simply not enough of a subject. Homosexuality is not a taboo anymore today. It is tolerated in every society in the civilized parts of the world and certainly everywhere where these films are set. You need character development. Interactions that make sense. And a plot! All this is missing here. This film is the epitome of what is wrong with gay-themed movies in the 21st century. It's all quantity. Zero quality. Luckily the quantity in terms of runtime was relatively low here. I still could not wait for the film to end as watching the two "actors" became more and more painful the longer the film dragged. I highly recommend to stay far far away. Absolutely not recommended.
Now the script. This is the story of two young men meeting and falling in love with each other. And this is basically it. References about a black eye and one character's father feel as fake and included just for the sake of it as the dramatic conflict between the two towards the end, which may have been the weakest moment of the film. It's all so generic. So predictable. So much of a failure. Now let me elaborate a bit on the word "offensive" in my title. This is a description that fits many gay-themed movies and has done so for 2 decades already maybe. Strangely enough back then when it really meant something dangerous to be a homosexual, people were not shoving this subject in our faces in terms of the quantity like it exists now in so many films. Gay-themed movies back in the 20th century, especially before 1990 existed because they had talent and class. And potential. And meaning and a message. Nowadays, gay films do not even have a plot. Them being gay is enough. There are no films that are about nothing but the couple in the center of the film being straight. It is simply not enough of a subject. Homosexuality is not a taboo anymore today. It is tolerated in every society in the civilized parts of the world and certainly everywhere where these films are set. You need character development. Interactions that make sense. And a plot! All this is missing here. This film is the epitome of what is wrong with gay-themed movies in the 21st century. It's all quantity. Zero quality. Luckily the quantity in terms of runtime was relatively low here. I still could not wait for the film to end as watching the two "actors" became more and more painful the longer the film dragged. I highly recommend to stay far far away. Absolutely not recommended.