There are films that don't make it easy, are unwieldy, create little sympathy for their characters. Label Me has two main characters, a German, Lars, and a refugee from Syria, Waseem, both living in Cologne. Waseem offers sex for money, Lars pays. Lars is curious, asks many questions, Waseem, on the other hand, has rules for everything, even for answering questions he demands money. We don't know if Waseem is gay. Label Me is a typical German film in that it torpedoes the viewer with several questions: What does a refugee feel in another country, how does one deal with him, how can he live out his sexuality, find himself? Waseem is rather introverted, carries heaps of aggression, some against himself. But he gradually dares to allow closeness. Unfortunately, that's where this film ends, which is very short at 1 hour. As a German, the intellectual level of the film is very familiar to me. I therefore don't need answers to all the questions the film raises. It has a lasting effect, which is a good sign.
Plot summary
No kissing. No passive penetration. For Waseem the rules are very clear: When Lars pays him for sex then only in a way that he can reconcile with his heterosexuality. On the one side the refugee from Syria living in a shelter, on the other side the wealthy German with a loft apartment - the differences couldn't be more crass and yet both are connected by a sincere interest in each other. Their relationship is rooted in a constant alternation between dominance and longing for closeness. The playful power struggle between the two of them reveals their inability to hide their fears and longings from one another and to keep up their carefully constructed facades. While both struggle to uphold the labels in their head, their friendship starts to pose a real threat within the reality of Waseem's shelter.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Movie Reviews
A bitter pill to swallow
Didn't expect
1 hour movie way better than many movies. For gay theme, it's really exceptional. It's very natural for all the acting. The Syria man and Germany man meet for paid serve relationship and what happens between them is love, sympathy or hatefulness ? All just a thin line to define.
Great chemistry
I wish this was longer than an hour. The main couple has fantastic chemistry and I really wanted a happy ending for them... but I knew there wouldn't be, so I was prepared. I will probably watch this again, some great messages in this. Glad I watched it.