Kevin I'm sure I wouldn't give this movie all them stars if I saw it today. But I know exactly why I did back then.I don't remember what age I was exactly. What I do remember is the loneliness of the closet. I remember changing channel as my older brother went into the living room for a minute. I remember living in shame. I remember quivering as I watched Tobi struggling and finally come out. I think I cried.I'm not sure it was the first gay-themed movie I watched but it definitely wasn't the only one that had this tremendous effect on me ( The two first ones that pop into my head are Brokeback Mountain & Shelter, bot leaving me weeping a while after the end). I could go on with movies that got me feeling so sad yet so full of hope as I was. Or about the ones that I saw or re-watched more recently - as I continue to grow older and more confident with my gayness - that got me thinking and feeling joyful all the while being less normative than a whole of coming-out/coming-of-age gay/bi-themed movies. Oh; that could be a good movie list "Non-normative movies and shows for sad gay kids"! I'll get to it soon.

Bene Cumb In the film world, where financing and audience size are often key factors, it is rather tricky to create something on the topic of coming out as gay - particularly with youngsters involved and erotic scenes/undertones. All this requires a piety balance, and, in my opinion, the director/co-writer Marco Kreuzpaintner and his colleague have succeeded in this. Solid script, development of characters, versatile scenes, and skillful performances starting from Robert Stadlober as Tobi have made Sommersturm smooth to follow, hopefully also for them who dislike gays or feel pity for the girls unable to get cute boys as they are (being) taken by other boys... Well, this Queerschlag gay youth rowing team seemed slightly odd to be, but apparently it was a way to bring this gay topic into light and contribute to funny moments in the film; as implicated above, for the boy-girl relations you feel sorry.All in all, a brave yet decent film, without slipping into unnecessary sensation or preaching. Definitely not for conservatives or religious persons.

jaroslaw99 This review contains spoilers.I watched this film years ago and just a couple days ago. While I agree with much of the glowing reviews (the photography, the natural, generally undramatic realistic interaction between characters, budding romances etc.) there is a mean streak in here, as well as several instances where some are being extremely inconsiderate. I'm not exactly sure how old these people are supposed to be, but they seem like very late high school or early college? Tobi, the rejected Gay lover, just doesn't get it that Achim is straight. Achim talks about girls, about having a problem if a Gay guy liked him, on and on and still almost to the end, Tobi doesn't get it. Meanwhile, Leo likes him, and is very tender with him several times, Tobi injures Leo's arm (unintentionally) still Leo can't participate in the competition, something they presumably train their whole lives for. Tobi doesn't even apologize! Come on! This is the perfect, tender romance of the century movie? What about the part where Tobi tells Sandra to not withhold sex because of her small bosom (something boyfriend Achim told Tobi in confidence) Yes, "kids" and adults are mean, but I'm not the one saying this is such a gentle love story. It is downright harsh in places. To say What he did to Sandra, Tobi is a selfish little twit. (And stupid too, if he thought Achim wouldn't be furious about it or that Achim would stop loving Sandra? Even if Tobi is naive about homosexuality, he must know that male/female is the majority). Oh, and I know that Tobi was fixated on Achim so Leo was probably just a diversion. It is easy to get the impression I hated this movie, I didn't. I just wrote this review as a counterbalance to the excessive number of reviews purporting this movie to be perfect. I'm aware that people can be mean, and there are plenty of immature adults around. But I think for some of the dumb sh*t Tobi pulled, he needed his a** kicked. As a Gay man myself, I can understand how difficult it is to come out but this never is an excuse to be cruel and inconsiderate to others.

Chad This film immediately vaulted itself into the very top of my favorite gay-themed movies list after only one viewing. It's simply terrific, offering humor and heartache in equal servings. The acting from all the characters is brilliant, and like other viewers, I particularly liked the subtle and sensitive performance of Marlon Kittel in the role of Leo, as well as Alicja Bachleda-Curus's performance as Anke. I wish that the U.S. had the depth or courage to produce films like this. It seems most of my favorite gay-themed movies are foreign films. Others have gone into all the plot points and developments, so I won't rehash them, but I will touch on one thing I loved, and a couple of other viewers noted it as well... There is a lengthy scene late in the movie (chapter 17 on the DVD to be exact) that, for nearly two dialog-free minutes, allows the camera to fade in and out of varying scenes, from the introspective despair of Achim, lying by his girlfriend and obviously hurting over the loss of his best friend Tobi, to a series of scenes of the lake and the land in a rainstorm. Each of these scenes has a single focal point, whether a ball floating on the lake or a ladder on the side of a dock... it's a stunning montage from a cinematography standpoint, and the whole scene is accompanied by an incredibly beautiful, haunting melody on a cello. It's perfect, and I could have easily watched this scene in rapt attention had it carried on for another couple of minutes.