FILM REVIEW: Are We Lost Forever ?

Personal declaration up front :  in my relationships  , including marriage, I’ve always been left – never been the leaver.

So I probably come at this smooth, attractive Scandinavian film by David Fardmar with a bit of one-sidedness. These are ‘Bel Ami’ looking young guys – one a songwriter, the  other a photographer who have fallen out of love .

Jonathan Andersson as Hampus the singer/songwriter  is the one who bites what seems to him an inevitable bullet and announces he’s moving out, ending  his 3-year relationship with Bjorn Elgerd’s  Adrian. It’s a slow opening with some self-analysis but mostly angst-ridden silences and awkward moments. It’s clear that Adrian is a dom top who is a control freak in and out of bed.

Distributed by Peccadillo Pictures, over 100 minutes the film charts what happens next – which is mostly that Adrian wants to get back together but Hampus seems to have moved on more effortlessly, though he has occasional physical and emotional relapses.

Both actors bring high levels of realism to their characters and there are times when I wanted to just bang their heads together and tell them to get on with separating or reuniting. It’s a bit like my annoyance with Hamlet and Othello but not quite so arty.

Fardmar digs under the surface and shows us ourselves – sometimes creating scenes that are difficult to watch. There’s ladlefuls of Scandinavian moodiness and a light-hearted scene in a gay bar where Adrian’s straight friend tries to match him to other customers.

We seem to have turned a corner when Adrian  partners up with the delightfully playful Rasmus , a choreographer ( Micki Stoltt ) after Hampus  meets restaurateur Julian (Nemanja Stojanovic ).

But old flames burn on and the poignant and enigmatic end (no spoilers)  befits the on-off relationship of the two principals .

Are We Lost Forever is available from 18 January.  The dvd and Blu-ray versions contain 4 short Fardmar films and interviews with cast and crew .

More details at peccapics.com