Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Boy Meets Boy is about two young men who meet at a disco and then spend 15 hours together.
Harry (Matthew Morrison) has been visiting Berlin for two days and has done nothing but party. When he meets Johannes (Alexandros Koutsoulis) at a club, the two hang out and Harry mentions that he only has fifteen hours before he has to return to London, and he still hasn’t seen the city. So, Johannes decides to show Harry around, and the two start getting to know each other. And the more they hang out, the closer they become.
And that is what Boy Meets Boy is about.
Some Thoughts:
As a film about two people getting acquainted with each other, Boy Meets Boy works. The acting is decent, it’s well shot, and never dull. Most of it is filmed with handheld cameras, giving it a realism it wouldn’t have if it was more polished. Also, the story is allowed to unfold naturally, with more visual clues about Johannes’s and Harry’s lives before meeting than dialogue or exposition.
Morrison and Koutsoulis work well together, and their attraction to each other is never in question. Their interactions feel easy, and their curiosity about each other never seems forced.
Although the film plays out well, I found it odd that Johannes is showing Harry around Berlin, but they don’t visit many tourist areas. They go to the park, photo booths, a cyber cafe, but nowhere I would expect a tourist go. It didn’t ruin the movie, but I never felt as if Harry was getting to actually see Berlin.
There isn’t a lot of plot to Boy Meets Boy, so the acting, cinematography, script, and direction must all come together to hold the viewer’s interest. And luckily, it does. Director Daniel Sánchez López knows how to make a visually appealing film and understands subtlety, which is why the movie works.
The Final Verdict:
Boy Meets Boy is a beautifully quiet and subtle story about two people coming together and making a connection. If you’re looking for more than that, then this isn’t the movie for you.