Nick Weber | Kiora / 2017

hardy boys

by Douglas Messerli

 

Nick Weber (screenwriter and director) Kiora / 2017 [29 minutes]

 

It’s problematic to even conceive Nick Weber’s 2017 film, Kiora, as a gay picture. The two male figures of this film, Mario (Julian Schleelein) and Alex (Micha Hoff), high school students, clearly have a deep friendship, and are supportive of one another in their school dilemmas. But this intelligent German film makes no mention of any sexual or even non-sexual relationship between the two.

   Sure, Mario calls up his buddy Alex to get him to class on time—they’re late and both are meaninglessly punished for their tardiness. And Marla, their classmate, for no explicable reason is clearly on their case, but what’s the big deal. Even their fellow soccer-playing colleague only gets a 300 franc fine for breaking a windowpane. But the principal, Herr Gerber, is less patient with the two boys, even though he at first confuses them with the previous boy who has broken the window.

     Mario is put in charge of the upstairs cleaning man Haller, but Alex is suspended from school, and Mario goes back to the principal to argue with him about it. So we must presume there is something between the two boys that is closer than just a passing friendship.

      However, that is never fully established, and the rest of the film becomes a kind of mystery film wherein the two boys discover that Haller is about to steal of the school-boys’ fees. With the help of the female friend, Lena—who is a master of breaking into lockers and room without a key—they attempt to catch Haller in the act of stealing the funds, hoping to make Alex into a hero which will alter his outsider status and make him the hero of the English language school.

      With some complications and a computer filled with evidence they succeed with the goal, even if their own sexual relationship is never fully revealed in the process. We can only guess that they must have a deep passion for one another, but we certainly do not get to perceive it. And this short film, as entertaining as it is, makes no effort to establish any deep gay relationship, even if, true to standard queer movies form, Mario temporarily betrays his love, Lena reminds him of his love for Alex, and Mario turns back to protect his friend. 

     This is a well-filmed, basically likeable but totally empty film that might be more at home with the Hardy Boys series than in a gay cinema retrospective.

 

Los Angeles, February 26, 2024

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (February 2024).