I really enjoyed this film; saw it twice in two days. It takes place in a mideastern war zone and concerns a search by a young civilian man for his missing military boyfriend. In the search he encounters various familiar characters just off the news page. A US government agent provokes and uses the young man for both propoganda and to stir up trouble with the locals. A tour guide with whom he forms a strong bond helps him find his friend. An official of the country seeks to make use of the situation for both personal and bureaucratic gain. Another undercover agent from another agency stalks the others to find out secrets and, if possible, to commit a terrorist act....maybe. This makes the pot boil considerably and requires some close watching to keep track. I was more than happy to watch it again to absorb all the pieces and they do, indeed, fit into a rather complex puzzle. There is plenty of scenic grandeur with desert locations and an old roman ruin, a coluseum, where crucial action between the principals occurs, The symbolism of gladiators is not lost but heightened by the careful photography from the seats and side corridors of the ruins. Man, the more I write this, the more I appreciate the work that went into it. The young man who is searching is very good looking and clean cut which emphasizes his relative purity and innocence in facing a bunch of dishonest and evil characters. I am a gay man and found the depiction of gay characters to be way more than acceptable, even heroic. Thank you. I get that the distribution of this film has a checkered history and right here on this site it refers to a French subtitled version. I saw this on Dekko where it sits happily with many other fine gay features. *** A new viewing...knowing the plot did not detract. Some of this film is on the "handheld" side but it adds to the flavor of danger and suspicion of the plot. The hero is hot. There is no other way to describe him. A lot of shirtless time always a plus.
