The moment I started playing this movie, I knew I was getting into deep trouble. It's not that we haven't got great and satisfying gay-themed movies recently, for example, last year there was And Then We Danced which literally boosted my mood up over the nine cloud. But ever since Out In The Dark, I always feel like there's something missing. Today, for the first time in many years, while accompanying along Victoras and Mathias' journey, I didn't feel that way anymore.
While Out in the Darkness served the audience with a complex storyline happening during a complicated situation, and there's no way The Man with the Answers could compete with that. But then, they are totally on pair with each other when it comes to the casts which are the key element that make these two movies sensational and undeniably captivating.
First, Victoras (played by Vasilis Magouliotis) appears quietly in a very definition of a regular guy, with a very regular life. Yet, with great directing, you quickly see through his appearance that this is not gonna be a regular story. Or maybe it is, but it's a story that you'll remember nonetheless. Also, it doesn't sounds like a compliment to a performance in a movie when you say the actor is cute, but in Vasilis Magouliotis case, it really is a compliment. He is super duper cute! By the end of the movie, you realise that Vasilis Magouliotis played the part of quite a multidimensional character, with a wide range of emotions, and he's cute all the way through. That makes you believe in and confidingly support his character.
Then entering Mathias (played by Anton Weil), in the same quiet fashion, but you couldn't help telling yourself "This must be the guy!" The way Anton Weil commands the audience's attention is powerful, and he used that power magnificently in this movie. Throughout the movie, you notice you don't get much of Mathias' story. Yet, Anton Weil made it sure that you feel like you know this character thoroughly. You get to know Mathias very well through his eyes, through his actions, through his manners, through the entirety of his performance, including his bullshitting. And even though his characteristic is rather questionable at times, Mathias comes across to be very sound and grounded. He appears to be the only sanity in the insanity of this world we're living in, the world that has turned too complex that it seems impossible to respond to a question with a simple answer.
And when Victoras and Mathias finally start interacting with each other, something just clicks, like a big bang, the kind that generates all sorts of happiness in you. The ravishing chemistry between the two actors make this road trip not just enjoyable but also awakening. A lost boy meets a wanderer, sounds catastrophic, but it seems to leads them both to a right direction, one seems to find his stop and the other seems to find his answer. Life can be funny that way. Sometimes, a person just comes into your life, stirs it up, and nothing looks to be able to be resolved. Still, that person brings you such peace and joy, so much that a solution is not of a great importance anymore. And if you're willing to fight for that person, maybe that's the solution you need for everything.
Last but not least, I feel like this review wouldn't feel completed if I don't say this out loud, The Man with the Answers is a great movie and it's worth every second. Road trip has suddenly become such a popular theme these days, but I have to hand it over to Stelios Kammitsis for writing and directing this movie. He handled the theme with great care and it quickly comes to your mind that he must be no stranger to a road trip around Italy. You can really spot how experienced Stelios is through the shots along Victoras and Mathias' journey. The way the camera captured random landscapes, buildings or street signs is so masterful, you feel like you're on the road trip with them. I especially love Stelios' choice of shooting a long sequel through a glass window at a gas station, very refreshing and very artful. Also, I admire Stelios Kammitsis' sensibility in presenting European cultures in this movie. It's very signature that you shortly come to believe this can only happen between 2 Europeans, or at least one of them has to be European.
While Out in the Darkness served the audience with a complex storyline happening during a complicated situation, and there's no way The Man with the Answers could compete with that. But then, they are totally on pair with each other when it comes to the casts which are the key element that make these two movies sensational and undeniably captivating.
First, Victoras (played by Vasilis Magouliotis) appears quietly in a very definition of a regular guy, with a very regular life. Yet, with great directing, you quickly see through his appearance that this is not gonna be a regular story. Or maybe it is, but it's a story that you'll remember nonetheless. Also, it doesn't sounds like a compliment to a performance in a movie when you say the actor is cute, but in Vasilis Magouliotis case, it really is a compliment. He is super duper cute! By the end of the movie, you realise that Vasilis Magouliotis played the part of quite a multidimensional character, with a wide range of emotions, and he's cute all the way through. That makes you believe in and confidingly support his character.
Then entering Mathias (played by Anton Weil), in the same quiet fashion, but you couldn't help telling yourself "This must be the guy!" The way Anton Weil commands the audience's attention is powerful, and he used that power magnificently in this movie. Throughout the movie, you notice you don't get much of Mathias' story. Yet, Anton Weil made it sure that you feel like you know this character thoroughly. You get to know Mathias very well through his eyes, through his actions, through his manners, through the entirety of his performance, including his bullshitting. And even though his characteristic is rather questionable at times, Mathias comes across to be very sound and grounded. He appears to be the only sanity in the insanity of this world we're living in, the world that has turned too complex that it seems impossible to respond to a question with a simple answer.
And when Victoras and Mathias finally start interacting with each other, something just clicks, like a big bang, the kind that generates all sorts of happiness in you. The ravishing chemistry between the two actors make this road trip not just enjoyable but also awakening. A lost boy meets a wanderer, sounds catastrophic, but it seems to leads them both to a right direction, one seems to find his stop and the other seems to find his answer. Life can be funny that way. Sometimes, a person just comes into your life, stirs it up, and nothing looks to be able to be resolved. Still, that person brings you such peace and joy, so much that a solution is not of a great importance anymore. And if you're willing to fight for that person, maybe that's the solution you need for everything.
Last but not least, I feel like this review wouldn't feel completed if I don't say this out loud, The Man with the Answers is a great movie and it's worth every second. Road trip has suddenly become such a popular theme these days, but I have to hand it over to Stelios Kammitsis for writing and directing this movie. He handled the theme with great care and it quickly comes to your mind that he must be no stranger to a road trip around Italy. You can really spot how experienced Stelios is through the shots along Victoras and Mathias' journey. The way the camera captured random landscapes, buildings or street signs is so masterful, you feel like you're on the road trip with them. I especially love Stelios' choice of shooting a long sequel through a glass window at a gas station, very refreshing and very artful. Also, I admire Stelios Kammitsis' sensibility in presenting European cultures in this movie. It's very signature that you shortly come to believe this can only happen between 2 Europeans, or at least one of them has to be European.