You and I

A gay/straight friendship is put to the test in Nils Bökamp's semi-improvised drama, which begins after Berlin photographer Jonas (Eric Klotzsch) breaks up with his girlfriend. The next day, Jonas picks up his gay British friend, Philip (George Taylor), from the airport for a trip to the country in his van. The pair go skinny dipping, cook around a campfire, and explore an abandoned mansion. All the while, Jonas takes photographs of Phil, who has no compunction about disrobing at will. Two becomes three when they invite Boris (Michal Grabowski), a shaggy Polish hitchhiker, to join them. The trio sleep where they can until they arrive at a manor where Jonas's professor has allowed them to house-sit for a few days. Boris initially seems uncomfortable when he discovers Phil's sexual orientation, but discomfort shifts to intrigue when he walks in on Phil while the latter is taking a shower. Intentional or not, much of what follows feels like a horror film, since Bökamp eschews artificial lighting and depicts Boris as such an enigma that it's hard to tell if he's trying to unravel the bond between Jonas and Phil, or if he has more devious intentions. But even if You and I seems aimless at times, it all makes rather satisfying sense by the end. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)