Garcon Stupide

Starring: Pierre Chatagny Director: Lionel Baier Fax: 2005, French, subtitles (Los Angeles, California) We all have a bit of Loic, the "stupid boy" in Swiss filmmaker Lionel Baier's movie, or we know someone just like him. The 20 year old during the day works at a chocolate factory, doing a dead-end job. At night he spends his time cruising for idle sex. From chat room to chat room, from hook up to hook up he goes. And Baier leaves little to the imagination in following Loic (Pierre Chatagny) in his exploits. When he's finished with that hour's conquest he returns to his only friend Marie (Natacha Koutchoumov), a student who works in a natural history museum. Marie listens to his stories of sex and more sex, and in between tries to teach the youth something about the real world. Loic had never heard of impressionism or Adolf Hitler until Marie mentions both and Loic is off to a dictionary to find out more. But it is sex that occupies Loic's mind. But, the more he gets, the less it satisfies him emotionally. Realizing the emptiness of his life Marie suggests he become involved in photography. It becomes a passing fancy. But then he happens to meet Lionel, an older man who is actually interested in something more than sex. The possibility of a relationship that transcends sex mystifies the boy and transfixes him. Loic is in love.

Garcon Stupide was shot on digital video and then transferred to film. Baier follows Loic in an almost documentary style. The movie is heavy on dialog and that may put off some people who don't like subtitles. But this is an excellent character study of a young gay man searching for himself.

*Review by Brent Ko, 365Gay.com