Lola And Bilidikid on DVD (1999)

Gritty but worthwhile

A customer from Salisbury, England , 01/06/2004

An unusual, but strangely compelling film about gay life in the Turkish population of Berlin. Hated for being Turkish to start with, Murat hasn?t got much going for him. But he?s gay, too, and life doesn?t seem able to get much worse. Then his long lost brother, now call Lola, makes contact with him.

Lola?s boyfriend, Bili, loves Lola, but doesn?t want to be gay, and tries to persuade Lola to have the operation so they can be married like ?real? people.

Poverty, racial and homophobic bigotry surround them at every turn.

One of Murat?s friends is a young neo-nazi, but he?s also gay and equally confused about his sexual identity. In one of the most affecting scenes in the film, they share an experimental kiss, which goes horribly wrong.

This is a gritty film. It?s in German and Turkish with English sub-titles. It?s very European. But it is thought provoking and has some very excellent performances.

Not light viewing, but well worth seeing.

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Excellent!

Ellie from Nottingham , 22/05/2004

A beautifully told story of life as a gay transvestite turk in Berlin. About families, friendships and pressures of relationships.

I was hooked on the story from the word go and was rapt until the end of the film. The characters are portrayed with all the complexities of their individual life styles and you just can't help but feel with them.

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Entertaining and thought-provoking

A customer from Dunbartonshire, Scotland , 13/08/2004

A must-see movie that deserves a wide audience, as it speaks to everyone, gay or straight. Not an easy film, it challenges its audience to think.

It took me a while to get the names and relationships of its characters straight, and I wasn't always exactly sure what was going on. However, despite that, I enjoyed it.

Berlin's Turkish ghetto and subculture of dance clubs, transvestites, and hustlers makes a colourful setting for a strongly plotted movie that charts the journey of self-discovery made by one young boy. Murat, German-born of Turkish immigrants, struggles with coming out and homophobic and racist abuse from fellow students. He discovers he has a brother, long since disowned by his traditionalist family, the exotic Lola. Lola has a macho boyfriend who wants her to have a sex-change operation so they can live together as a married couple. The story uses drama and humour to call attention to important issues of homophobia, racism, violence, immigration and cultural differences.

Well acted and filmed in a naturalistic way that makes it immediate and real, it's a powerfully moving story that builds to an explosive climax, with a twist I didn't see coming.

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Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown....

A customer from Dartington, Devon, England , 12/01/2005

Although much of the press say that Murat is the main protagonist in this film, I felt that the story was centred around Bili and Lola (as indeed the title suggests). This doesn't matter though, as all the characters are beautifully drawn and acted wonderfully. There is an air of true talent in this film. All its constituent parts are carried with skill and in some cases real innovation; such as Murat's own experiments with sexuality which although hard, are told without the usual navel-gazing. As with other characters in the film, he is what he is and that is that.

The main reason to watch this film though is for plot. This is simply one of the best scripts to be found in recent times. It is as good as some of the great plots in early Almodovar, notably 'Law of Desire.' Some brilliant humour (the rich mother who has never seen plastic is a joy of a character) supports a dark and disturbing story which, as other reviewers have said, climaxes in a sequence of gripping final scenes.

If this is the direction gay European cinema might go, driven by German / Turkish energy and sexiness then let's follow it. So much better than the French world view depicted in Presque Rien...

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Entertaining and thought-provoking

A customer from Dunbartonshire, Scotland , 13/08/2004

A must-see movie that deserves a wide audience, as it speaks to everyone, gay or straight. Not an easy film, it challenges its audience to think.

It took me a while to get the names and relationships of its characters straight, and I wasn't always exactly sure what was going on. However, despite that, I enjoyed it.

Berlin's Turkish ghetto and subculture of dance clubs, transvestites, and hustlers makes a colourful setting for a strongly plotted movie that charts the journey of self-discovery made by one young boy. Murat, German-born of Turkish immigrants, struggles with coming out and homophobic and racist abuse from fellow students. He discovers he has a brother, long since disowned by his traditionalist family, the exotic Lola. Lola has a macho boyfriend who wants her to have a sex-change operation so they can live together as a married couple. The story uses drama and humour to call attention to important issues of homophobia, racism, violence, immigration and cultural differences.

Well acted and filmed in a naturalistic way that makes it immediate and real, it's a powerfully moving story that builds to an explosive climax, with a twist I didn't see coming.

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Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown....

A customer from Dartington, Devon, England , 12/01/2005

Although much of the press say that Murat is the main protagonist in this film, I felt that the story was centred around Bili and Lola (as indeed the title suggests). This doesn't matter though, as all the characters are beautifully drawn and acted wonderfully. There is an air of true talent in this film. All its constituent parts are carried with skill and in some cases real innovation; such as Murat's own experiments with sexuality which although hard, are told without the usual navel-gazing. As with other characters in the film, he is what he is and that is that.

The main reason to watch this film though is for plot. This is simply one of the best scripts to be found in recent times. It is as good as some of the great plots in early Almodovar, notably 'Law of Desire.' Some brilliant humour (the rich mother who has never seen plastic is a joy of a character) supports a dark and disturbing story which, as other reviewers have said, climaxes in a sequence of gripping final scenes.

If this is the direction gay European cinema might go, driven by German / Turkish energy and sexiness then let's follow it. So much better than the French world view depicted in Presque Rien...

Read all highest rated reviews