The Dekko Films March 27, 2018 DVD release of the 2017 Finnish romcomdram "Screwed" (nee "Pihalla") definitively proves that gay-themed films have fully invaded territory previously solely occupied by films centered around boys who like girls. Seventeen year-old Miku hits the trifecta of having a free-spirit older brother who gets him in trouble, throwing an out-of-control party while his parents are away, and developing a relationship with sexual elements with a brother and sister who are disturbingly candid with each other.
The accolades for this modern coming-of-age tale include the award for Best Domestic Film at the 2017 Scandinavian Film Festival.
Shy boy Miku overall is living the good life at the beginning of "Screwed." He is home alone for the summer while his driven breadwinner mom and heavily tatted seemingly unemployed weightlifter dad are spending the summer at the family cottage by the lake. Although Miku is flirting with the idea of getting closer to the figurative girl-next-door, he is content to not push the issue.
Everything changes when party animal older brother Sebu unexpectedly shows up; his instigation includes getting his little bro to agree to hold the aforementioned rager. This sales pitch includes the event providing Miku the opportunity to pop his cherry with the aforementioned assumed object of his affection. This being a Dekkoo film, savvy audience members know that the motivation of Miku to play along includes keeping his curiosity regarding other boys a secret.
Some of the best humor in "Screwed" relates to Miku not doing very well with preventative damage control under the coaching of Sebu. Seeing our nervous hero go door-to-door with a lame cover story is hilarious.
The Dekkooness of "Screwed" also comes through as Miku connects with a sure thing and gets to the point that the rubber essentially is going to hit the tunnel. The manner in which he squirms out of this nicely avoids embarrassing him and the not-so-fatale femme.
A figurative substance joins the literal ones on the walls of the family home as Sebu is nowhere around and Miku returns from a coffee date to find Mom and Dad at the house. This leads to an amusing chase that results in Miku facing a summer at the lake that seems to preclude any prospect of dirty dancing.
More Dekkooness emerges as hunky older-man college student Elias motors up to greet Miku and the 'rents. Although Elias simply may be simply acting as a good neighbor, it is likely that the arrival of a cute quiet boy during a very dry season for the experienced guy draws him in. It is amusing that neither Miku nor his parents seem to catch on when Elias responds that he supposes so when it is observed that he is so good looking that he can have any girl that he wants.
Our boys initially have a modern-day Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn relationship in that they spend their days on the water and illegally drinking at the local bar. Every audience member knows what is coming (no pun intended) when Elias uses the promise of liquor to first entice Miku into his home and soon into his bed. Writer-director Nils-Erik Ekblom deserves strong credit for not having the morning after involve Miku blaming his night of passion on being drunk and then angrily storming out for his walk of shame home.
Seeing our boys bond and Elias getting his summer boyfriend to loosen up (again, no pun intended) is sweet. This stage of the relationship also makes gay viewers whose first time with a boy is not-so-great envious. Elias makes the experience enjoyable and remains close to Miku both in and out of bed. The humor this time relates to the liberal and accepting mother of Elias making things somewhat comfortable, but Elias particularly being embarrassed when caught in various stages of the act.
The same unease exists when Elias gets Miku to be daring in public only to have the drug addict sister of Elias pop up unexpectedly and catching the boys in the middle of the act. Her leaving the boys stranded is a prime example of something that is mortifying for us being funny when someone else is the victim.
This encounter leads to the aforementioned bonding between the siblings and Miku. The difference is that the guy who is the third party is sleeping with the brother, rather than the sister. The elements of accepting that this new friend regularly gets busy with the relative and of the siblings increasingly taking this quiet individual well beyond his comfort zone remains intact.
The universal movie truths continue with conflict developing regarding the central romance. A true-to-life gay aspect of this is that guys who have sex can view the significance of that act differently. This is particularly true if the "gay age" of one partner is older than that of the other.
All of thus occurs while Elias is struggling to be the man of the house while both his mother and his sister actively deny reality. Meanwhile, Miku is facing coming out to his parents and contending with their marriage being at a low point.
Ekblom once again deserves special credit for creating one of the most memorable coming-out scenes in film history. Folks who are fully invested in the characters truly will both laugh and cry. He does equally well regarding the attitude of Sebu on learning that his little brother likes boys. This almost literally is a "not in my backyard" situation.
"Screwed" ends up with virtually every character wiser and in a better place than at the start of the film. It also hopefully sends every closeted high-school boy out there the messages that the dude who seems to be interested in getting busy most probably does and equally likely will make the first move. The only potential downfall is the happy ending not leading to a fairy tale conclusion.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Screwed" is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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