Gay Argentinian filmmaker Marco Berger is known for provocative features that investigate the bounds of queer desire, and, in his latest film? Well, he’s not horsin’ around.
Horseplay (original title “Los Agitadores”—essentially, “The Agitators”) tells the story of a group of “straight” male friends who gather at a beautiful countryside villa to unwind over the Christmas holiday. Though, for anyone who’s spent any time around a large number of men knows, this gathering is anything but relaxing, as they constantly rile one another in a constant game of homosocial one-upmanship.
They tickle, they taunt, they run around naked, they find themselves snuggling after a night of heavy drinking… But what starts as consensual friend-on-friend teasing eventually escalates to something more antagonistic.
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The more reserved Poli (Franco de la Puente), in particular, tries to keep his distance, but the constant goading of ringleader Nico (Bruno Giganti) proves unavoidable. Personal boundaries are stretched and shattered as the entire getaway becomes a game of gay chicken. And then things become all the more chaotic when a group of women arrive at the villa, putting the childish behavior of the men in sharp contrast.
At times, Horseplay feels like a ticking time bomb of toxic masculinity—all by Berger’s design. Homophobia runs rampant in the the charged playfulness between these men, which could make the film a tough watch for certain audiences, but the writer-director knows there’s a thin line between that and homoeroticism, which he plucks at gleefully.
There’s also the matter of the absolutely gorgeous cast of hunks, who spend the majority of the film’s runtime shirtless (at least) and slapping each other’s butts. Berger’s camera isn’t shy about ogling their Adonis-like bodies, while slyly challenging his own audience’s desires. As their behavior gets increasingly hostile, is this the kind of masculinity we want to lust after?
Horseplay: Come for the eye candy, stay for the thoughtful examination of male connection and bravado.
The feature has been making the rounds at various international film festivals, so chances are it could be coming to a theater near you soon. Next, Horseplay heads to the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival, where it will screen both in person and virtually statewide. It’s been picked up by Matchbox Films for U.K. distribution, with further U.S. release details yet to be announced. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, you can watch the first official trailer for Horseplay below:
Related: Argentinian Filmmaker Marco Berger Heads To “Hawaii”
Bengali
This movie’s plot sounds very similar to another gay-oriented film, “Tae Kwon Do” which I loved. I can’t wait to see this one as well. Guessing Daekoo or Here TV will offer it sooner or later.
Raphael
I agree, and it’s from the same director. I don’t know why he would make such similar movies, but well…
Joshooeerr
This is very clearly a gay dude’s fantasy of sex with straight guys. End of.
abfab
Ew. This looks skuzzy AND skanky! No. As Coco Peru would say……that bothers me.
Bigboaster
This feels less like thoughtful critique of “homophobia” and rather just a less than subtle attempt by the director finding an excuse to parade around some half naked attractive straight men to fulfill his pathetic high school fantasies. More than a little cliché don’t ya think?