A brief introduction to the story of men's paradise

The original title "Hamam" means Turkish steam bath. Public bathhouses, swimming pools and toilets are probably the places where gay men find themselves most often, whether in Chinese or foreign movies. The atmosphere of "Men's Desire Paradise" is mysterious and charming. The protagonist came to a foreign land to find a dream country, and also experienced the awakening of sexual consciousness. There are many twists and turns in the story, which is very useful, with beautiful music and serious technical production.

The main plot of Men's Desire Paradise is similar to that of the Chinese mainland movie Bath, which is caused by the hero from other places being forced to take over the bathhouse. However, Zhang Yang's Bath has no homosexuality, pays attention to the description of ethical affection, is too nostalgic and sad, and has a small pattern. "Men's Paradise" moved the story to Turkey on the border of Europe and Asia, and the mixed culture of race, religion and sex was shrouded in a fog. It is indeed full of metaphors and visual images, which is expected. Unfortunately, Italian director Oates Peske just played it down and didn't intend to dig deep. The theme of "Men's Desire Paradise" is vague and sloppy, and the director is a little careless, expressing the shyness and implication of awakening, which makes the film sometimes look like a tourist scenery film, leisurely and carefree, and sometimes full of sexual entanglements between men and women, which is quite suspenseful. When I watched this movie, I couldn't help thinking that if it was shot by young bertolucci, it would be completely different.

This Italian film, shot in Turkey, was completed in 1996, and it is very popular and famous at gay film festivals in the United States and around the world. It's understandable for the publisher to promote this movie as a gay movie, but if you look at the naked backs of two men on the poster and the implied advertisement "His inheritance is sexual awakening", you think you will see a group of muscular men meet naked in the public bathroom, which is all wet. In fact, "Men Longing for Heaven" is about a man (the hero) and two women (the old man and the young wife) who are 30 years apart in the process of pursuing dreamland. It is full of nostalgia and literature. The gay angle is just "hitchhiking", which is not hardcore at all, but very gentle and friendly. So far, even mouth-to-mouth kissing is "borrowed" and the camera has not taken it directly.

This is the first feature film directed by Oates Peske. His advantage is that his technique is unpretentious. Obviously, he is very familiar with and respects Turkish culture, and he does not regard Istanbul as a tourist's curiosity. From street seascape, wine and delicacies to belly dancing and boy circumcision, it is full of wonderful and cordial interests. The audience who have seen "Men's Paradise" probably can't help but want to visit Istanbul.

At the beginning of the film, Italian handsome boy Alessandro Gassman went to Istanbul to collect cultural heritage, but he was fascinated by this ancient city. He has also become the eager target of local people. Others look at him, and he looks at others.

There are scenes where men and women constantly look at each other and exchange eyes frequently. The director probably wants to compare different cultures/local cultures and heterosexuals/homosexuals from the perspective of male gaze, but he doesn't care at all. Instead, he fascinated the audience and just wanted to solve the problem.

This sense of confusion is also related to the performance of the protagonist. Alessandro Gassman's father, Victoria Gasmann, is famous. He was an Italian junior in 1950s and 1960s, and he has the reputation of "laurence olivier of Italy". Alessandro is tall and handsome, but his acting is not so good. In Men's Paradise, his expression is empty and dull, and the process from "straight" to "curved" is hard to convince. The audience can't help but ask: there is no shortage of handsome guys in Italy. Didn't the hero go to a public swimming pool in Rome and wait until he broke into the men's room in Istanbul before he became enlightened? Interestingly, there are many famous works in western literature in which white people have been changed by foreign culture or tropical climate and made many movies. The most famous comedies are April in Love and Blue Sky Outside the Window. The frigid and sexually repressed Englishman went to Italy for a holiday and began to enjoy life completely. He described Italy as a wonderful rejuvenation pill, or let himself get rid of the shackles and find his own paradise again. If that's the case, where will Italians go for a holiday to recharge their batteries? "Men's Paradise" offers a choice: Turkey. In the film, the old menstruation settled in Turkey 30 years ago to enjoy life. Thirty years later, the protagonist unconsciously followed in her footsteps, and his wife finally settled down and became an independent new woman, blowing the melancholy sea breeze in Istanbul.

It is worth mentioning that in the films made by the Turks themselves, such as Journey to the Sun and somersault in the coffin in recent years, Istanbul is not as calm and serene as in Men's Paradise.