Review: 'Boy Meets Boy' a Likely LGBTQ+ Film Festival Favorite

In Daniel Sanchez Lopez's "Boy Meets Boy," two gay men meet on the dance floor in Berlin after 24 hours of clubbing. At first it's the hazy intimacy of drugs that brings them together, but soon, as they talk and chill, they fall into the comfort of compatibility.

Harry (Matthew J. Morrison) is an overstretched medical professional who has lost sight of his higher purpose and needs a bit of earthy sex to feel something apart from discontent. Life is work, work, work, Grindr, sex, work, work, and more work. He is surprised to find that he has slipped out of shark mode on the dance floor into a seemingly romantic day-long date with Johannes (Alexis Koutsoulis) as he waits for his evening flight back to the UK. Johannes is a dancer whose parents have inspired him to seek out the ideal of two people who are meant to be together.

The magic of the film creeps up on you. Its structure hides behind the ebb and flow of the two central characters' dialogue. The easily flowing conversation is the side effect of the script, by Hannah Renton and Lopez, never drawing attention to itself. The film's visual appeal comes from camerawork that disappears. The use of silence is the most powerful part of the sound design. Morrison and Koutsoulis deliver the presence of character without falling into performances. They are recognizable, like people we have met but still want to get to know better.

As Harry and Johannes talk, they explore ideas about themselves, relationships, religion, family, and sex. They catch each other falling into repetitions of entrenched positions they have shared with others before, and then unravel slightly under each other's challenge. The issues, thankfully, never drown the personal perspective. The director, actors, and script always bring it back to two real people.

"Boy Meets Boy" is likely to be a festival favorite. It makes a virtue out of its accessibility.

"Boy Meets Boy" screens at Seattle Queer Film Festival and NewFest (NYC)