March 8, 2023
Meet the Hunks in the Best International Feature Oscar Noms
Frank J. Avella READ TIME: 11 MIN.
With a host of handsome hunks in the Oscar acting categories like Austin Butler, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, and Colin Farrell, it's easy to overlook some of the super-talented, sizzlingly sexy artists that worked on movies nominated in the International Feature Film category.
Here at EDGE, we decided to closely examine these striking dudes and delve in a bit deeper into one of the best crops of foreign language film selections in recent memory. Heck, we could have just confined the list to the tasty boys from "All Quiet on the Western Front," the likely winner, but each nominee features at least one hunk to salivate over.
Here's our list of Hotties and their respective films.
Lorenzo Zurzolo. Actor. 'EO' (Poland)
At 84, Jerzy Skolimowski has made one of his finest features, a narrative that puts us in the empathetic place of a donkey who is forced to roam from Poland to Italy and the idiosyncratic humans he encounters. Two of those flawed beings are played by two of Europe's rising stars: Lorenzo Zurzolo and Mateusz Kościukiewicz.
Zurzolo, a gorgeous Italian actor, lights up the screen as Vito, an enigmatic drifter on his way home to see his stepmom (Isabelle Huppert), with whom he has a bizarre relationship. He sets EO free. Zurzolo, 23, got his start onstage in Rome in a production of "Pinocchio." He recently starred in the Italian films "Weekend," "Morrison," and "Under the Amalfi Sun" (streaming on Netflix), as well as in the series, "Prisma" (Prime), where he gets his naked ass slapped by another sexy male. The ridiculously sexy thesp next stars with Asia Argento and Jasmine Trinca in Francesca Archibugi's "La Storia" for Italian TV.
Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Actor. 'EO' (Poland)
This long-haired Polish sexpot plays a trucker with a penchant for heavy-metal, transporting poor EO until something ghastly happens. Kościukiewicz has been featured in Polish films for over a decade now, including "All That I Love" and "In the Name of..." In the latter film his character has a steamy gay love scene with... his Catholic priest (Andrzej Chyra).
Juan Pedro Lanzani, Actor. 'Argentina 1985' (Argentina)
Santiago Mitre's timely film, "Argentina 1985," focuses on the real-life '80s landmark trial of the Juntas, exposing human rights violations by the fascist dictators. The intrepid prosecution team is led by Julio César Strassera (Ricardo Darín), who is assigned deputy prosecutor, and Luis Moreno Ocampo, played by the striking 33-year-old, Juan Pedro Lanzani.
Handsome Argentinian actor Juan Pedro Lanzani (a.k.a. Peter Lanzani) is a former child model and member of the musical group Teen Angels. He splashed big on Argentinian TV with "Case Angeles." He then worked steadily in TV, film, and on stage, including playing Alan Strang, the troubled 17-year-old, in "Equus." In "Argentina 1985," Lanzani impresses as one of the daring prosecutors of the military dictatorship.
Michael Patric. Actor. 'The Quiet Girl' (Ireland)
Colm Bairéad's captivating film "The Quiet Girl" is set in 1981, when 9-year-old Cait (Catherine Clinch) lives with her useless parents and four sibs (with a fifth on the way). Mom and dad send her to live with cousins for the summer, and she blooms among people who love her. But Cait is expected to go home. Michael Patric plays Cait's not-so-loving Da.
Rugged Michael Patric's character in "The Quiet Girl" is ill-tempered, drinks and gambles too much, and cheats on his wife. But the actor certainly makes an impression. Patric has amassed several TV and film credits over the last two decades, including the indie "Becoming Jane." He will next be seen opposite Jane Seymour in the TV series "Harry Wilde."
Lukas Dhont. Director. 'Close' (Belgium)
Two bonded 13-year-old boys (Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele) find their relationship questioned and their connection irreparably damaged by fellow classmates in Belgian helmer Lukas Dhont's sublime film "Close," which confronts homophobia head on.
Lukas Dhont, the exceptional director of the controversial film, "Girl," has fashioned an emotionally devastating work about the love between two boys and how their fellow students destroy that love. It's not every day that we see such a swoon-worthy filmmaker nominated for an Oscar, but Dhont is that alluring exception. The out gay director recently said that he'd love to make a queer version of "Titanic," or "an even queerer one" – " 'Titanic' is already super-queer," he quipped.
Felix Kammerer. Actor. 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (Germany)
Edward Berger's astounding epic film version of Erich Maria Remarque's 1928 classic anti-war novel, "All Quiet on the Western Front," is up for nine Oscars, including Best Picture. It won a surprise seven BAFTAs, including Best Picture and Best Director. This powerful, visceral anti-war work, poised to do quite well at the Oscars, boasts an abundance of pretty boys and fine-looking men. Here are just a handful.
As Paul Berger, Austrian thesp Felix Kammerer plays the 18-year-old protagonist of "All Quiet on the Western Front," a boy who so yearns to fight in the war with his friends that he forges his parents' signature. Kammerer is a stage vet but, astonishingly, this is his film debut. Like George MacKay in "1917," the actor captivates as we follow his journey to the very end. Kammerer also happens to be quite the cutie.
Aaron Hilmer. Actor. 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (Germany)
The broodingly handsome Aaron Hilmer plays Albert Kropp, the smart ass of the quartet of school chums that enlist together in "All Quiet." He began his career as a child actor in Germany in the popular TV show "The Peppercorns." Roles in features such as "Schrotten!," "Sex, Pity and Loneliness," and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" placed him on the German film map. In the short "First Time: The Time for All but Sunset – Violet," Hilmer plays one of two young men on a train attracted to each other. And the recent TV series "Sloborn" showed him off in an even sexier light.
Anton von Lucke. Actor. 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (Germany)
He only appears in a few scenes in "All Quiet," but Anton von Lucke makes an indelible impression. Queer audiences were smitten with von Lucke in last year's mesmerizing "Great Freedom," where he shared a few sensual moments with Franz Rogowski. He's previously enthralled audiences in François Ozon's "Frantz," as well as the smash Netflix series, "Babylon Berlin." His next co-starring role is in the period film "Alma & Oskar."
Albrecht Schuch. Actor. 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (Germany)
BAFTA-nominated for his searing performance in "All Quiet," blond hair/blue-eyed Albrecht Schuch has starred in German films and TV since 2009, most notably appearing in "Fabian: Going to the Dogs," "Dear Thomas," and the 2020 remake of "Berlin Alexanderplatz," where he is featured getting into a tub naked with Welket Bungué. Schuch will next be seen in the feature "Dark Satellites," opposite Nastassja Kinski.
Daniel Brühl. Actor. 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (Germany)
Suave Spanish-German actor Daniel Brühl has carved out quite the eclectic career, both in the U.S. and overseas. He first hit in 2003's sleeper "Goodbye Lenin," and has appeared in a slew of other films including, "Ladies in Lavender," "The Bourne Ultimatum," "In Transit," "Inglourious Basterds," and "The Zookeeper's Wife," the latter with Jessica Chastain. He's picked up a slew of awards and was BAFTA and Golden Globe nommed for "Rush," opposite Chris Hemsworth (and should have been Oscar nominated). He's also never been shy about appearing nude ("A Friend of Mine," "Honolulu"). In "All Quiet" he plays Matthias Erzberger, a German official trying to persuade the High Command to agree to an armistice.
Frank J. Avella is a proud EDGE and Awards Daily contributor. He serves as the GALECA Industry Liaison and is a Member of the New York Film Critics Online. His award-winning short film, FIG JAM, has shown in Festivals worldwide (figjamfilm.com). Frank's screenplays have won numerous awards in 17 countries. Recently produced plays include LURED & VATICAL FALLS, both O'Neill semifinalists. He is currently working on a highly personal project, FROCI, about the queer Italian/Italian-American experience. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. https://filmfreeway.com/FrankAvella https://muckrack.com/fjaklute