In this coming-out story written and directed by Dennis Todorovic, pianist Sasha Petrovic (Sascha Kekez) spends more time hiding his sexual orientation from his Montenegro-born parents than practicing his craft, despite the persistent urgings of his mother, Stanka (Zeljka Preksavec), who runs a pub in Cologne with Sasha's father, Vlado (Predrag Bjelac), and hopes that their son will be admitted to a prestigious academy. Music student Sasha enjoys hanging out with violinist Jiao (Yvonne Yung Hee), who is not only attracted to Sasha but also faces similar pressure from her immigrant father; but Sasha is more interested in his piano teacher, Gebhard (Tim Bergmann), and feels devastated when he learns that Gebhard intends to move to Vienna. Sasha's younger brother Boki (Jasin Mjumjunov), who has his eye on Jiao, knows his sibling's secret but keeps it from their parents, and Sasha himself lets them believe that Jiao is his girlfriend. Vlado, who is horrified by homosexuality, encourages Sasha to sow his wild heterosexual oats; but Sasha instead pursues Gebhard in a quest to convince him to stay, ultimately humiliating himself and embarrassing his instructor. Eventually, this complicated web of deceptions unravels, but rather than spark a catastrophe, the outcome opens up new possibilities. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)
Sasha
Strand, 102 min., in German w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99, Mar. 22 Volume 26, Issue 2
Sasha
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