Alternately silly and serious, the gay-themed documentary Dream Boat wants to have its beefcake and eat it too. Shot aboard a cruise ship hosting an annual, all-male gay outing for almost 2,400 passengers, the film leers at acres of bodies stuffed into Speedos. Director Tristan Ferland Milewski indulges in long sequences of soft-core voyeurism while also focusing on five men of different nationalities who have specific issues in conflict with hardbody standards and freewheeling sexual permissiveness. Marek, a Polish-born, U.K. resident, has a handsome face and well-sculpted form, but lacks confidence in navigating the perpetual party scene on all of the ship's decks. India's Dipankar feels alone amidst thousands of fellow shipmates, while Ramzi, a Palestinian, is sailing with his Belgian partner, a recent cancer survivor. Martin, from Austria, is living with HIV, while French citizen Philippe, confined to a wheelchair, wonders what it would be like if he could attract men other than his partner. Epiphanies and disappointments concerning body image, HIV, love, and acceptance of gay culture back home are experienced by the quintet, and there is much talk about feeling left outside of the swirling rave going on night and day. Serving up an uneasy mix of personal pain and fun, fashion, and flesh, this is an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Dream Boat
(2017) 92 min. In English, French, German & Arabic w/English subtitles. DVD: $24.99. Strand Releasing (avail. from most distributors). Volume 32, Issue 6
Dream Boat
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