Bent

Where's Roberto Benigni when we really need him? This disturbing Holocaust drama, based on Martin Sherman's 1979 Tony-nominated stage play, would best be called Life is Brutal-ful. Unlike most Holocaust films, which view Nazi atrocities from the Jewish perspective, Bent views life (and death) in a concentration camp through the eyes of Max (Clive Owen), a homosexual who must deny his identity to survive the camps (he wears the yellow star of the Jew instead of the even more dreaded pink triangle for gays). At the heart of the film is his increasingly intense friendship with Horst (Lothaire Bluteau). In the film's set piece, which originally and unfairly earned it an NC-17 rating, Max and Horst, standing side-by-side without looking at or touching each other, quite graphically verbalize the lovemaking they are forbidden to physically express. Though Bent has lost much of its initial shock value, it is still a powerful work that, like Schindler's List and Life is Beautiful, is ultimately a testament to the human spirit. Note: Mick Jagger, seen briefly, as drag queen Greta, may have been a casting coup, but he takes viewers right out of the movie (hey, look; it's Jagger in drag!) Recommended. (K. Lee Benson) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Jan. 15, 2019—Film Movement, 105 min., NC-17, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1997’s Bent features a fine transfer with LPCM 2.0 audio on the Blu-ray release. Extras include behind-the-scenes footage (12 min.), brief interviews with costars Brian Webber, Clive Owen, Ian McKellen, Mick Jagger, and Lothaire Bluteau, as well as producer Martin Sherman, and director Sean Mathias (14 min.), the 'Streets of Berlin' music video by Mick Jagger, and a booklet. Bottom line: this powerful Holocaust drama makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]