MARIO

In my opinion, the best gay films of all time are, in order: 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Juste une question d'amour', 'MARIO', and 'Another Country' (based on my collection of over 200 titles in this genre). I dismiss the criticism by one customer, that this story lacks originality (that person who seems to think that most gay films follow a boring set itinerary). In my experience this film is very true to life, and is certainly the work of someone with insider knowledge of the Football profession. Most gay coming-out experiences share a similarity because of the very nature of one's coming out in a society in which some people are unwilling to accept that homosexuals are perfectly normal people in all other ways, because most people happen to be heterosexual. Quite why the Football profession does not seem to respect current laws and guidelines regarding homosexuality, bullying, and employment rules is beyond me, especially when one considers that the British armed forces have succeeded in bringing themselves fully up to date (a miracle in itself). Yes, Football is a macho profession, but not nearly so much as the army. I can safely say this with experience of both. The idea that gay players in a team may affect ticket sales is absolute nonsense of course, since most people nowadays either respect gay people, or have a family member, relative or friend who is gay, and also because they are bound to a large extent by political correctness, particularly at work. I put it down to the unwillingness of certain club owners and management to change. In this particular case, any story line which didn't follow stereotypical experiences would not work simply because there would be no need to make a film about gay footballers if their lives were as banal as those of their heterosexual peers. We could instead make do with another film about football or footballers. As for the film's ending - I can understand that some might find this one unimaginative, but to me, it reminded me realistically of how I felt when I had to face the future without the person I loved, and contemplating whether it was worth living or not. Such dread was clearly written all over Mario's face, with all the fear and pain that I had to endure. So, full marks to the actor who played the part. The clever thing about this concluding scene is, that it effectively provides the author with the opportunity to write a sequel. Superb acting, well-written, and beautifully shot. The work which went into making this film is very commendable indeed, and the actors had to train with professional footballers to blend in convincingly.

We all know there are many gay/bisexual footballers in the premiership as well as in foreign leagues and despite the politically correct do-gooders who sprout their usual nonsense that this should not be an issue in the 21st century, this brave film shows us exactly why they won't come out. Leon and Mario are teammates in an ambitious club who fall in love to the consternation of a rival striker who starts to spread deadly rumours about their relationship the consequences of which make up the second half of the film. I won't spoil what happens - although I expect you can guess. What I will say is that the production values are high and the performances and direction first rate. Max Hubacher (Mario) does well as the lad who has to decide between love and furthering his career, while Aaron Altaras (Leon) gives a quietly compelling performance as Mario's other half. As so often in this genre the ending leaves a feeling of melancholy. But then the preceding two hours will show you why. In Swiss German with excellent subtitles. Good extras featuring director and Altaras. Recommended.

Beautiful movie about same sex and sport. Soccer, a man's world but with man who fall in love on the same sex and the pressure of above to don't fall for it. The movie shows with strong actors a perfect and beautiful story about two men fall in love in the same team but can't be because if they want to be a professional soccer player. Good performance, heavy scenes with confrontation and coming out struggle. Value for money, a must see!

It's an intriguing film with some great performances. The two leads are captivating, even though one of them does have an off-putting resemblance to Vladimir Putin. Some great performances from the supporting cast too, Mario's fake girlfriend is particularly good, you can see her growing discomfort so clearly. My main problem is it just has the feel of being an "issues" drama rather than a story about the people involved. I suspect that the writers did a lot of research and then decided to write the story that would make the point they wanted to make. You never get the feeling that Mario and Leon have actually sat down and discussed what's best for them. The choices before them aren't great and it's totally wrong that they would have to make them, nevertheless they do have some options. So you don't really feel the ending comes about because of the personalities involved but because that's the "point" the writers wanted to make. I'd contrast it with something like "Brokeback Mountain" which does deal with homophobia and its effects BUT you also feel that Ennis (Heath Ledger) may simply be someone who has problems with intimacy anyway and is using society's issues as an excuse. It's that level of complexity which is missing here.

A very good film with a nice storyline and showing the emotional decisions faced by sportsperson in relation to their sexuality. Well acted and kept me entertained from start to finish. Definitely recommend this Dvd.

I am so annoyed that in Germany and France a Blu Ray is available but with no English subtitles. If they can put them on the DVD why not on the Blu Ray? I'm an HD person and find this very frustrating, with numerous movies not getting released in the UK with English subtitles on anything other than DVD which I prefer not to buy. All TVs are now HD so why are manufacturers still not pushing Blu Ray?

This movie started off great and the development of the relationship was depicted really well as well as the prejudice they endured. However the last 45 minutes of the movie really ruined it. Why can't gay movies ever have happy endings for the protagonists? Just one shot of Leon sitting in the stadium would have redeemed the movie yet the last shot is of Mario scoring a goal then looking lost as he realises he has no one close to him to celebrate with. It upset me the movie ended like this but that's my opinion, maybe others would like it?

I think it's brave that we finally have a fim dealing with the issue of gay footballers. This subject matter is quite relevant. Excellent performances and a realistic script. This has to be one of the best LGBT films that I have ever seen. There is still a long way to go coming out as gay in the harsh world of soccer. Hope this film will give food for thought. Recommended.

Zoals nagenoeg alle films in het homo genre zit ook in deze film een duidelijke boodschap. Bij mij kwam deze aan in deze film !! Het verhaal is meeslepend en gaat dwars door je heen, maar het is kei en kei goed. De film heeft (helaas) geen happy end. Ik zelf heb het daar soms nog steeds moeilijk mee, maar ik had de film voor geen goud willen missen. De 2 hoofrolspelers laten acteerwerk zien op een buitengewoon hoog niveau. Van de neer gezette personages zal iedere homo seksuele man na 2 uur houden en na het zien van deze film heb je wel stof tot nadenken... Een echte aanrader deze film, voor zowel de homo als hetero gemeenschap !!

I held off buying this movie because I knew from the reviews that I would not like the ending - and I didn't. However, this movie is excellent - the production quality, the superb acting, and, yes, even the well-written story. This movie leaves you feeling deeply and sorrowfully for Mario and Leon who go through so much anguish and rightfully should be together. While I did not like the ending, it fits the story. I do not see this story as simply a matter of Mario and Leon making different choices (love vs. career). I was left wondering and second-guessing. Given that Mario and Leon seem to be deeply in love with each other, why didn't they spend more time trying to work out a solution that would have allowed them to stay together? Why did Leon lose his temper in the locker room knowing how Mario would be forced to react caught off guard and on the spur of the moment? Why did Leon leave Mario so abruptly without talking to him? Why didn't Leon answer Mario's phone calls? Why does Mario feel that he needs to apologize to Leon when Leon has just as much to apologize for? Why does Leon move on so quickly to a new boyfriend? But then, I did not write this story. Maybe Leon just doesn't see a way to make the relationship work and has decided to "cut his losses". Seeing that Leon is on at least his third boyfriend, maybe he just leaves when things get tough. Leon is Mario's first love and maybe Mario is just having a more difficult time figuring out what to do. Whatever. I still highly recommend buying and viewing this movie.

Ein absoluter Topfilm - nur empfehlenswert, da das Storyboard weit über dem Durchschnitt des schwulen Filmgenre liegt. Ich mag diese Filme sehr, da sie sowohl Erinnerungen wecken als auch tagesaktuelle Probleme thematisieren können. Letzteres wird im FIlm Mario sehr direkt und wahrscheinlich sehr real dargestellt. Ich möchte nicht in dieser Rolle stecken. Ich denke, dass kein Sport so ablehnend der Homosexualität gegenübersteht als der Fussball. Aber möglicherweise liege ich hier falsch und es gibt auch noch andere Sportarten, die auf Profi oder Semi-Profi Basis keinen Platz für gleichgeschlechtliche Liebe parallel zum Sportgeschehen akzeptieren. EIn sehr wertvoller Film - tolle Darsteller und Dialoge. Zum mitfühlen...

Je suis tres satisfait de la communication avec le vendeur prix abordable et dvd neuf. Sous titre en anglais. Le film est region européenne mais ils se lis avec un dvd multi-region sans problème.

Wonderful movie best movie for a while simply terrific............