Taekwondo (2016) User Reviews

Much conversation; not much clothing

[euroGary · 7/10 · 2 November 2016]

In 2013 Marco Berger wrote and directed 'Hawaii', a film whose central premise was a will-they-won't-they relationship between two young men whiling away the summer in a nice house. Two years later Martín Farina made 'Fulboy', a documentary about a football team that was characterised by random conversations and far too many extreme close-ups of various body parts that made it difficult to know who was talking at any one time. So what is the result when Berger and Farina make a film together?

Hosting a group of male friends at his family's nice house for a summer break, Fernando also invites Germán, a team-mate from his taekwondo class. While the rest of the gang - usually clad only in shorts and occasionally in nothing at all - engage in random conversation, Germán wonders if Fernando is going to come on to him. But is Fernando homosexual anyway?

There are definite flaws in this film: co-director Farina's love of the body-part close-up is well in evidence, although thankfully slightly tempered since 'Fulboy' - most times the viewer eventually finds out who is talking! There are also times when closer attention to continuity would have been welcome: the girlfriend of one of the men suddenly disappears without explanation, and the appearance of a pet dog toward the end of the film is similarly unexplained - where was he before - locked in the shed?

I also felt the film dragged slightly in its last third, although it is hard to know how it could have been shortened: with something always happening on-screen - albeit in an extremely relaxed fashion - obvious padding is kept to a minimum. The actors are all convincing in their delivery of the mostly inconsequential, occasionally offensive, conversations: not obviously ad libbing but also not declaiming as if they were in Shakespeare. And - crucially for this film - they all appear content with the paucity of their wardrobes and pleasing casual nudity. So, despite the film's weak spots, I'd happily watch it again.

Could have been great but somewhat disappointing.

[arcane112 · 6/10 · 28 February 2018]

Before you continue reading be aware that there will be a spoiler !

Let me first tell you briefly about what this film is about. Fernando is a handsome young lad who invites some of his (straight) friends for the holidays in a nice country house with swimming pool. They have left their girlfriends at home and fill their days with swimming, relaxing, talking (about sex), drinking and smoking pot. In this "men only" situation, they walk around the house half- or completely naked all the time. Fernando (Fer) also invites his friend Germán from Taekwondo lessons, who is secretly gay and someone the other lads don't know. But he easily gets accepted into the group. Fernando and Germán start getting fond of each other more and more and spent as much times together as they can. Actually there is almost no plot in this slow paced film, just a bunch of young lads enjoying themselves, having simple conversations, but that did not bother me at all. On the contrary, this is just one of those films which is meant to be like that. So you can just watch and enjoy these nice looking guys and their way of behaving and almost taste the holiday feeling yourself. Almost a bit like spying on them. That is something I did like about the film. I also liked the character Fernando, you could really sense his fondness of Germán. Germán was a little less convincing as an actor I think, but still adequate. So what bothers me about this film you must be thinking, since everything so far has been rather positive. It was actually the end of it. So hence the spoiler. For the entire film you feel the growing connection between Fer and Germán, and this chemistry gets more intense as the film progresses. So as the film goes on, you really do want those guys to admit that they do love each other and in some scenes that longing is so obvious. The way Fer sometimes stares at Germán for example is lovely. As the end got nearer I was just waiting so impatiently for that obliged kiss. So only in the very last minute of the film (big spoiler ahead), when the other guys have already left the country house, sitting at the swimming pool, Fer asks Germán if he can give him a kiss. In that short scene, you can only see the lads from their back, in a very dark scene, where you can hardly distinguish who is who, there is a brief his. I know it should only be a small part of the film, but in this case, when there has been built up so much (sexual) tension during the entire film, in my opinion, that kiss should have been fireworks and definitely clearly visible... For me it almost felt as the director was afraid to include a clearly visible gay kiss. Conclusion: nice film but frustrating ending.

Plot light; eye-candy heavy.

[AyanaH · 5/10 · 9 June 2017]

The synopsis of the film is what drew me to it. As vague as it was, I wanted to see how they, German and Fer, were going to get together in what I presumed would be a house full of testosterone-driven heteros. And for the most part that is essentially the plot of the film, in as much as a plot exists. However, that particular storyline could be whittled down to 20 minutes of the film's almost two-hour run time, if so much. The majority of the film comprises of half-naked guys lounging, more often than not chatting about cheating on their girlfriends or being tied down by said girlfriends, etc.

I would agree with the review that said that it's meant to depict how gay guys feel surrounded by their heterosexual friends talking about their conquests to a point but the majority of those conversations take place without German or Fer in attendance and neither of them seem bothered by said conversations when they are there. For Fer, who's the host, it's par for the course because they are HIS friends and German spent most of his scenes wondering whether Fer was even interested in him or not. If they are bothered by those conversations, there's nothing in the film to indicate it.

For as little substance as this film has, it's too long and yet I can't quite think of how they could've possibly made it suitably shorter so I guess I must give production credit for relatively decent organization and cinematography. But I'm not inclined to even give them that much because when we do finally get to the end of German and Fer's story, there is little to no reward. Two hours of "are they, aren't they", Fer's friends' incessant lusting for sex (and a couple of actual hookups), and those two got one brief, pitch-black kiss.

I can't in good conscience recommend this film, it made me feel like I'd wasted two valuable hours that I could've spent watching something else, but if a buffet of oft-naked guys talking, swimming, sleeping, eating is your cup of tea then have at it.

nice

[Kirpianuscus · 24 June 2017]

Talks and summer and forms of friendship and the freedom of summer reflected by bodies, stories, confessions and looks. Not exactly a story. Only the sketch of a state. So, a film who propose to the viewer a place near the young men, for put his stories as part of chain of the others. But it is not surprising. Because it is one of films who gives only the lines of ordinaries existences looking for real sense. A slice of every day dream of a refuge/oasis, meet with similar people, the pressure of instinct and feelings and expectations. Nothing new. Only seductive. A summer house. Few guys. And the freedom in ideal sense. And, sure, a long time expected kiss.

Good

[JeanFlores-Dickens · 6/10 · 23 April 2022]

The movie was a bit too is low for my f Taste but it is a good movie and also it is good for the eye candy.

That could have been made in a 30 minute short movie but the story can be very compelling.

Lacks much plot, and it's S-L-O-W

[rklein123 · 3/10 · 18 July 2022]

It was the film "The Blonde One" that led me to "Taekwondo." I was so taken by that film by Marco Berger, that I was eager to see another. Maybe I should have quite while I was ahead.

The Blonde One is a beautifully crafted film, with a strong plot, and superb acting - coupled with excellent direction and camera work.

Taekwondo didn't live up to my expectations at all. The movie is an hour and 48 minutes - but it easily felt like 3 hours. While there is certainly the eye-candy aspect to this film, with some great shots of some great looking guys, the movie seems s-l-o-w and nearly plotless.

Taekwondo is more like looking in on an adolescent vacation. Guys being guys without parental oversight.

There is some sexual ambiguity and tension between what I would call the two main characters - the owner of the house and his friend from Taekwondo. One might (or at least I did) expect that sooner or later SOMEthing will happen between them. But nothing does. Some interested glances here and there. Some almost-touching closeness. But it's always diffused, interrupted by someone walking in, or by a game that suddenly breaks out among the guys.

We watch the guys shower, swim, play tennis or kick a soccer ball around the tennis court. And the guys seem to sleep a lot. Maybe even they are bored by the lack of plot. They play hide-and-seek. And talk about their sexual conquests with the girls, or ruminate over fidelity, still unsure what their relationships with girls are supposed to look like. And now and again they conjecture on whether this or that one is gay.

The director keeps the film somewhat interesting with nice camera perspectives that often focus on a body part - like a crotch or butt. There are glimpses of bare butts and sometimes guys bare it all. But there's not enough story line to string it together, and the movie is ultimately pretty boring.

A masterpiece of male beauty

[unbridledgay · 8/10 · 29 January 2017]

If you want to appreciate male beauty then this is your canvas: the torso, the legs, the chest, the thighs; everything is here. This movie is about the art of capturing male beauty at its finest hue. It is slow-paced to make you absorb the beauty. Moments of silence really gives you the chance to absorb what the camera has captured.

As a film that touches on the male relations subject, I found it refreshing how it approached the theme from a non-stereotypical stance. It is about discovering, and getting comfortable with each other, from a minimal dialogue. It is about being present, there and then. This is what I applaud Marco and Martín for. It wasn't about filling the conversation but it was about giving the audience the chance to grow with the characters by appreciating them by getting to know them.

The men in this work of art are just breathtaking; the perfect dose for those who appreciate Latin men beauty. It is an Argentinean film so you really get what Argentina has to offer in terms its accent and its men: the Arab-looking, the Spanish-looking, the Italian-looking, the Swedish-looking, the Russian-looking. Everything!

A line crossed

[rlculpepper · 5/10 · 5 May 2017]

In 2014 I thought and wrote of Berger's Hawaii... Berger's use of eroticism is a bit obvious in this. Perhaps because I've seen his moves before, they stand out as a bit contrived.

It seems for Taekwondo the only effort to stretch and evolve has been to up the ante of sexual tension with more men and more (much more) nudity. Again Berger shows us that eroticism is introduced by so much more than sex. Its still an animal notion of combined human attraction, contact and bond. The movie clings to his oft used narrative "will they or wont they" but here it felt reduced to teen angst. I recognized some effort to add questions of machismo, sexuality (as usual) and questions of the bonds of friendship. If you've seen Berger's wonderful "Plan B" or "Sexual Tension" "Absent" or "Hawaii" you've see most of the tricks and many of the shots also used in this movie as well as pacing, shot composition, and narrative exploration before, but in a better movie than this one.

Long vacation, short clothing and subtle romance. Perfect

[mheretoday · 8/10 · 26 May 2017]

As a glass of clear sparkling champagne, this simple yet powerful movie left me lost after I finished watching it. Movie silently takes over you from the beginning. The plain setup of the movie where a bunch of friends meet for spending some casual happy time together at a countryside home. A group of long term buddies who regularly hangout and relax together on holidays.

It is a tale of two young men who became friends during their Taekwondo classes, German and Fernando.

German is a boy with dark hair, sharp features and a fit body. You fall in love with this character instantly. He is gay and he has come over to his Taekwondo training partner upon his invitation, Fernando. Fernando has grown with this bunch of friends and most of them are not aware of his sexual preference. Fernando is a character like a gentle cool breeze on a summer evening. A very humble person who has invited his old childhood friends to his parents lavish big house with all the amenities to relax; from swimming pools to tennis courts.

As expected of a summer time filled among friends. Random conversations between boys who are mostly moving about in house spending time casually in shorts or most of the times in colored underwear or barely anything. Your eyes go gaga on those gorgeous bulges and tight asses director has taken with such perfection for a gay themed movie. With lot of silent moments movie sinks into you and gives you time to feel what is happening between Fernando and German in midst of these random conversations. As a typical gay movie a lot of nude scenes which fit the simple screenplay are available for feasting your eyes.

Fernando and German can't hide their feelings for each other. Yet none of them take a stance to tell another. Air around them speaks louder than the dialogues. Subtle hints are dropped occasionally by both men to let the other know what is their orientation. They keep the relation hidden from other but it is not really hidden to couple of eyes in the group.

There is a strong yet very subtle connection between them. They goggle each other's willies when ever there is an occasion. A silent tale of love and passion stirs and moves through the entire plot But the chemistry and the acting is so natural that you can identify what a true gay guy goes through when he is surrounded by his heterosexual friends. Germán tries to keep it down and lay low but jerks off when he finds Fernando laying in his bed naked first thing when he gets up in the morning.

The movie shows the forward European culture in it's most plain form. The beauty of the movie lies in the fact that all the characters are given equal importance and the intensity of each character is emphasized which is stupendous if pulled without the help of hot steamy sex scenes for which director has done a good job. Though throughout the movie there is no physical thump-thump between the protagonists but this movie brings you at the brink of begging for a kiss between Fernando and German. At last when they finally kiss, it's the most lovable feeling a gay person can derive in this world. Pure, natural expression of love. A passionate kiss which tells how long both waited for this moment to come. Blush Blush.

It's a must watch for any person who has felt annoyed, uncomfortable being around straight friends who are there as friends but some part of you hides this feeling from them what you and partner speak in midst of them.

Meandering bore

[scottinhawaii-1 · 4/10 · 19 April 2021]

If it weren't for the naked and half naked men in this film, nobody would watch it. It's as close to plotless as can be. There's no point. The characters are mostly stereotypical archetypes with little character development. And that two gay men who are attracted to each out would take that long to figure that out is inconceivable. Maybe things move more slowly in Argentina.

I give it four stars as the camera made love to the bodies of these men, some handsome, some ordinary.

Why?

[Davalon-Davalon · 2/10 · 30 January 2021]

The great thing about not seeing films like this in a movie theater is that you can fast forward through them.

This is not a movie. This is an imitation reality show episode with a group of young men, some of whom are very attractive, spending time together in a country estate. The story, such as it is, focuses on two men, one of who is gay, the other who may not be. The other men are not interesting enough to discuss.

The director seems to think that all that is necessary are shots of men in various states of undress as they talk, laugh, make food, smoke, drink, wash, rinse, repeat. Nothing happens. You get the sense that the two men want to be close, but there is that fear factor, "But... what if he's just a friendly guy? What if he's not really interested in me?" Because there is that tension, which is a reality for many gay men, I gave this film 2 stars. But except for some nice shots of attractive mens' bodies, there is nothing to recommend. Dialogue-wise, it sounds like the entire thing was improvised.

I don't understand how anyone on this site could call this a "masterpiece." It was rambling, boring, dull and pointless. If you want to wade through almost two hours of nothingness for a poorly lit kiss at the end, be my guest.

The best thing I can say about this is that I could fast forward through it. You are missing nothing.

I know what we will do this summer..

[cutter_bin · 8/10 · 29 August 2017]

For something that I cannot explain, I really like the style of Marco Berger, slow pacing and with scenes that feels like we are voyeurs (as what others have already said) in lives of these people. It portrays an illusion of the common people (damn these boys are hot) and their day to day activities, and in this case, a summer outing of childhood friends. These adds some level of authenticity and with a free script that seemed to be ad-libbed, I find it very fascinating.

I was most attracted to Férnando or Fér, the guy who invited Gérman whom he met in their Taekwondo class for over a year ago. He is such a cool and cute guy and I felt that he's the romantic type and loves for love. He exudes this feeling for most of the film and especially in the part when he was lovingly looking at Gérman lounging at the pool and he was with his friend and the friend noticed how he looks at Gérman. I wonder really if Gérman deserves him and if he also truly feels like what Fér do. Part of these problem seemed to be because we don't get much history on how they developed their friendship and if Gérman really cares about him not just because he's hot, adorable and all the wonderful things Fér is. A criticism that I can give is that they should have addressed this on the third part of the film since I also agree that the third part can be pared down.

Overall, I recommend this film to people who are not easily bored (don't be, plenty of eye candy here) and likes to be teased. I have already watched this three times!

P.S

If you want to watch more of the works of Marco Berger, you should also try Plan B, this is a better execution of what I would have liked with the story of Fer and Gérman to get the authenticity that they both feel the same way.

Taekwondo is ideal for gay men that prefer to be sexually teased only...

[SBlues · 3/10 · 12 February 2017]

The title has nothing to do with kicking, fighting or whatever most people think of when they hear the word... Taekwondo is more homoerotic than anything else that would fit into the "gay themed" film world because it appears to be about watching cute men doing nothing but lounge around this house wearing little or nothing at all for almost two hours.

This is a running theme in just about all of Marco Berger's films and in one of his co-director's films. They appear to be fixated or have a fascination with strong, mostly heterosexual (and gay) Latino men as well as average build Latino men. From professional looking ball players, porn actors, to average looking men/typical co-starring actor types. As attractive as each of them are, all of them fall into other categories as well: slightly quirky or sexy or just plain hot. This is the type of film you can watch with the sound muted because it was made for voyeuristic viewers, to admire good looking men doing what they do when they're just "hanging out" with "friends".

There is two Directors listed for this film, Marco Berger is one that I am familiar with more and he isn't good at picking titles to match his films. His films often have no plot or story-line worth following or discussing. Just a bunch of scenes or short films put together of (usually) sexually frustrated men that appears to be a bit mentally challenged when it comes to properly communicating their sexual feelings for other mentally challenged men. Why you might ask? Marco Berger (the writer/director) loves his hot male Latino men to be very slow and kind of clueless in regards to their sexual feelings for other men they find attractive.

It's definitely made for all voyeuristic gay men (like the director Marco Berger and his co-director) that have an appreciation for watching/gazing at hot Latino men up close & personal. This is especially made for all those curious gay men that enjoy being sexually teased only because in their minds this is their main source of arousal rather than having physical sex with others.

Like living in a dream/fantasy world where you're forced to keep a distance, physically from other humans, never to touch or be touched by them, or to smell, be intimate or communicate with them as well.

Basically this film is a series of fragmented scenes. Short and sometimes lingering shots of sexy men in their 20's and early 30's wandering around (half naked or naked) in a house chatting about meaningless things, smiling and gazing at each other lovingly or curiously.

The end goal for the filmmakers it seems is to continuously tease the viewers until they begin to masturbate during the film or once the film ends.

In other words, soft-core porn for gay men, which can also be perceived as "an artistic film" without the usual simulated/fake sex in soft-core porn.

A Masterpiece Of Love & Male Bonding.

[ChipperX · 10/10 · 17 May 2020]

In the Argentinian film Taekwondo, directors Marco Berger & Martín Farina lay out a rich & complex tapestry of male interaction. The characters are perhaps more idealized than many are accustomed to seeing - this is a world where clothing is optional, friends don't discriminate regarding sexuality, and superficial conflicts are quickly and easily resolved. This fictional subtext provides a poignant counterpoint to reality while simultaneously highlighting all that is great in human interaction.

Germán (Gabriel Epstein) & Fernando (Lucas Papa) are sensitively drawn characters who are associated with one another in the practice of Taekwondo classes they attend. One long holiday weekend, Fernando invites Germán to spend time in his villa with his childhood friends, most of which are heterosexual, none of whom discriminate against those who are homosexual. We are made to understand through exposition during the course of the weekend that Germán is sexually attracted to Fernando, and Fernando is likewise attracted to Germán - but the two men are not privy to this information, and so begins the long courtship dance undertaken by human beings everywhere, with the bucolic setting of a country estate, various fit male friends and buckets of testosterone.

While Taekwondo is a very, very unusual movie with its frequent display of male full-frontal nudity, its naturalistic and realistic approach to the human form and interpersonal relationships between straight and gay men sets it high above its peers. At first blush, there doesn't appear to be a story here, but watch closely: The interactions between life-long friends works as a backdrop, adding color and character, while the plot and the relationship between Germán and Fernando moves inexorably, fearlessly forward.

The undeniable thesis of this film is love and the lack of shame. Love of the human body, love of friends, love of diversity, love of sex and the true love that develops slowly between two people more concerned with becoming one conjoined, codependent person - a living relationship entity - rather than quickly falling upon one another in a drunken night of debauchery.

Nudity - especially male nudity - is frowned upon in many Western societies, which ridiculously leads to self-shame, an unhealthy level of preoccupation and curiosity, and quick gropes in dark corners. The premise of Taekwondo presents naked bodies unashamed, unafraid, unapologetic and unassailable by the dictates of modern society. In this world, far from our reality, we encounter a trembling , breathing, fragile song and celebration of all things human. At the core of this world, love flourishes unabashedly. It is a world we should all be so lucky to inhabit - if only for a short while.

• Chipper F. Xavier, Esq.

Jabbering movie with naked men

[Waedliman · 4/10 · 24 August 2022]

There is a house where many handsome gay men live. They talk and talk and - oh yes - they talk. In between they are just beautiful to look at before they talk again. About what? It doesn't matter. Taekwondo is one of the two variations in gay films that keep popping up. Either it's an earthy coming-of-age story or it's petty banter designed to get beautiful men in front of the camera. Often neither the actors nor the directors are particularly talented. I understand that small budgets often require cutbacks, but can't they at least make sure that a script is clever and works?

Taekwondo

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 22 November 2022]

Boy, talk about a slow burn! This is a gorgeous to look at film about a group of good looking straight (?) young men who get together for a weekend and spend much of it naked and stoned discussing their previous or next sexual conquests. Thereafter, it isn't really about anything - or did I miss something? We get a sense from early on that Gabriel Epstein "Germán" has the hots for his taekwondo buddy Lucas Papa ("Fer") but the meandering way in which this story progresses makes for a terribly ponderous route to courtship. It isn't that it needs to be end to end sex, it's that it ought to be end to end something! Basically, nothing happens....

I overrated it but it IS a good depiction of homosexuality.

[isefmert29 · 9/10 · 16 December 2021]

This movie is a great depiction of the division between a heterosexual and homosexual day-to-day living. Compared to a heterosexual lifestyle, the gay male gaze in this movie hits right in spot as the process of looking, directly or indirectly, is most of the time will be the only thing you get to fulfil your wishes.

In the movie, the male nudity, being so close to it but you cannot touch it, you can only desire it. The raw instincts between the heterosexual and homosexual male are the same but while one is simply open to it and accessible (like how easily the male and female couples get it on in the movie), the other one requires the right conditions, right place, a lot of judgement and thinking.

In liberated communities, a woman and a man intercourse or flirting can easily be enacted but a homosexual relationship still involves too much at stake.

This movie is all about these and it beautifully depicts unfulfilled desires of this community.

Extremely boring

[joseph_vdelcastillo · 1/10 · 26 January 2020]

I lost an hour watching her, after half an hour I could only move forward and forward.

I nothing else to say about it.

Even eye candy gets boring without anything else to think about...

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 2 January 2023]

Argentinian-made feature (in Spanish with subtitles) has a handsome if somewhat green and incredulous young man invited to spend time at a friend's vacation house in the country--a sort of upscale flophouse for heterosexual party boys who like to swim, get drunk, and walk around naked (there's talk of sexual dreams with "chicks" and in bringing girls or "eye candy" into the house). The nudity in the film is used arbitrarily; all we have left to think about is: which one of the guys is gay, which one is curious, and how will the others react when they find out (in this regard, the film is rather like "The Boys in the Band" in reverse). Directors Marco Berger (also the screenwriter) and Martín Farina (also the cinematographer) have made an LGBTQ drama that really isn't. True, their camera feasts on the muscular young flesh uninhibitedly displayed here; however, the men themselves (I can't bring myself to use the word 'characters') are feckless, indifferent, blasé--boorish big-talkers. The movie is, in fact, so ridiculous that when a female neighbor drops by, the bare-chested boys gather around her with wide eyes and smiles, as if they've never seen a woman before in their lives. Who's fooling who? *1/2 from ****

I disliked this movie SO much. A waste of almost 2 hours.

[manuelasaez · 3/10 · 5 April 2024]

Where do I even start with this...

The movie is the worst type of movie there is; a film made to look like it had no script, just a bunch of half naked or fully naked guys shooting the breeze for almost 2 hours. There is no real story, aside from the very glossed over part of the two leads being in the same Taekwondo class, but the rest of the movie is as follows;

-Naked dudes swimming -Half naked dudes sleeping -Half naked dudes smoking -Half-naked dudes discussing women -Naked dudes walking around the house -Semi-clothed dudes talking at a dinner table -Dudes put some clothes on when 2 girls arrive

Throughout the whole film, we have one of the main characters, who is gay, and wants to know if his Taekwondo partner (who invented him to this boys outing) is also gay. It takes 1:40 minutes for them to finally give in to the entire purpose of this film, and I for the life of me just don't understand who would find this entertaining. My partner had a theory, though; the director used this film as a reason to hire a bunch of straight actors he just wanted to personally see naked. The same way Hollywood directors add nude scenes with women in their movies, as an excuse to see the people they're attracted to in the buff. Wouldn't hiring an escort be much less work and offer you more bang for oyu buck? I really just don't understand these types of movies.

This really isn't a gay film, especially if you discount the literal last 2 minutes of it. It's a movie about a group of men, which are all straight, doing straight dude things. Nothing about this movie is even remotely gay because none of the characters are gay, and this is really just the type of movie in the genre I can't stand. I don't watch gay films to see a bunch of straight men talking about women as if they've never seen one before in their lives. I have the gym and real life for that nonsense. I watch these movies two see two guys fall in love, and when you can't even be bothered to show me that much, than what did you really accomplish?

A disappointment of a film that missed the mark of what it means to be gay cinema in almost every regard.