In his fifteenth year of training, aspiring champion swimmer Kuba lives a normal, uneventful life - at home with his mother and girlfriend. He happily switches back and forth from good sex with Sylwia to the occasional back rub his mother craves. But Kuba has also been growing more curious about some of the boys at the gym. At a gallery opening one night, he is out of place and totally bored until he meets Michal. Sylwia picks up on his fascination, but Kuba has her heart. She keeps her feelings to herself, as from one day to the next Kuba puts Michal in the middle of his life with her. Kuba drops his training program and begins to dream of another life. His mother is incredulous and urges him to stay on track. Meanwhile, Michal takes on the task of convincing his concerned mother and distant father that his lifestyle is not just a passing fancy. Kuba comes to recognize he has never experienced feelings as deep as those he has for Michal. It takes all the courage he can muster to face those who love him and dive in. Then he must deal with the consequences.
C**N
polish art house
I can imagine this made quite a stir in conservative catholic Poland and although this maybe yet another film about the struggle to be gay , I don't think that this means this is not a relevent movie , as it has to be viewed from where it comes from [ there are only so any archetypes and storys to be retold any way] . Also I think this shouldn't just be sidelined as only a LGBT movie as any one who enjoys a quality good looking drama can enjoy this film . I feel Kubas odd relationship with his mother and the clingy do anything girl friend give an extra dimension to this movie , so that it moves away from the stereotype one dimensional plot. Its beautifully shot and if you can cope with the bleak ending [ you may need a vodka shot ] , a movie to really appreciate. Maybe should be compulsory viewing for all those UKIP idiots .
S**U
compelling
I got into this film pretty much right away. I found early on I wasn't noticing that I was reading the subtitles as I was really hooked. I enjoy foreign films as you see things from a different perspective. This film seems to follow other European countries in the fact that so much is said in silence. You find yourself needing to think so much more than films in English. This was very down-to-earth and I thought a believable story line. For me personally I really enjoyed this film.
K**R
CONTAINS SPOILERS - DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WISH TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS!
A classic-looking "European" film, you feel Floating Skyscrapers could have been filmed anytime in the last 2 decades of the 20th century - plenty of widescreen vistas, gorgeous if rather gloomy cinematography set in vast grey urban complexes under leaden skies. The tale itself is competently performed and nothing new but is reportedly a first for Poland in terms of gay cinema. However, although I am all for realism, in the end I found it all rather depressingly bleak and backwards-looking. It skirts round gay sex with a couple of standard 'lets not scare the horses' sort of sex scenes, yet feels compelled to counterbalance those with a lengthy and rather graphic nude scene of oral sex performed by Kuba on his girlfriend. Oh, and it ends with a nasty gay murder. Even Christiane F, as bleak a film about drugs as you could get, closed with a glimmer of hope. As anti-gay attitudes appear to be getting stronger political support in some parts of the world (Russia, say), it's hardly a film that would compel any isolated gay man in such countries to think about coming out.
M**I
Same old story
I don't want to spoiled the film... But I will, or maybe. Heard a lot of comments to the film that Polish is quite conservative to third gender. So this film ended up with tragedy and hard for someone who looking for happy ending. It's a typical modern day plot of gay movies which have a prize from random film festivals. They always put a message that gay should not be happy or deserve to live with someone they love because god made a man together with woman... I'm feeling unhappy about this idea because I'm also gay :(Yep,we have a heart!!!
S**T
Realist Polish Gay Drama
'Floating Skyscrapers' a Polish production from respected director Tomasz Wasilewski and starring Mateusz Banasiuk, one of Poland's finest young actors, caused a stir in its homeland where conservative attitudes still hold sway and equal rights struggle against an organised opposition to their advancement.It is therefore both as a film and as a political statement that this drama can be viewed. Kuba (Banasiuk) is a talented swimmer who lives at home with girlfriend Sylwia (Marta Nieradkiewicz). This surface happiness is only a background as we realise Kuba has inner demons disturbed by the arrival of Michal (Bartosz Gelner), a good looking guy facing a decision when to come out to his family. Additionally, Kuba's mum Ewa (Katarzyna Helmand) possessively flaunts her closeness to her son before an ever more skeptical Sylwia. At first Kuba attempts to suppress his yearning for Michal but succumbs in increasingly more intimate encounters. Here lies, I think, the films main narrative weakness as it is not made clear as to the chronology of their becoming lovers although it may have something to do with the top floor of a multistorey carpark. Apart from this, 'Floating Skyscrapers' presents a grimly realistic picture of humdrum existence shattered by the realisation of new passion.There is a lot of sex but all justified by its place in the story. The whole cast excels in mainly thankless,, humourless roles. Banasiuk stands out giving a very subtle, sensitive performance. Spending much of his timenaked he is still able to add to his physicality, a good deal of emoting. He is on screen most of the time and with the help of a taut script, never wastes a word where a gesture or expression will do. He does a first class job and is able to convey both the jock side of his nature and the gay side without resorting to histrionics. It is an impressive job, well done. I've seen numerous films with similar set ups recently, the disappointing - The Sex of Angels - for instance, going back to - Sunday Bloody Sunday - and this easily holds its own and more in a compelling production, well directed. Expect no easy answers nor laughs here. But a serious look at how difficult are the pressures from both family and Polish society on two young men who simply want to be together. And the ending speaks volumes.All in all, I recommend -Floating Skyscrapers- as an impressive addition to the genre. Four and a half stars. The soundtrack is sparse or simply not needed. In Polish with English subtitles. A trailer is the only extra.
P**M
Hauntingly beautiful. Excellent acting and directing
Hauntingly beautiful. Excellent acting and directing. Beautlfully scripted. Only a couple of scenes in a car park with jarring music in the background spoilt the film for me. Some minor editing in this respect would have helped. nevertheless it is an unforgettable film from Poland. Amazing photography.
D**D
A land mark for Eastern European gay cinema
Enthralling. Beautifully crafted, believably acted and strangely intimate. Like most good movies it inevitably ends in a desperately unsatisfying way. It haunted me for some time. It also addresses the rampant homophobia and bigotry that is present in many heavily Christian European countries.
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