Australian Premiere

BEYOND THE WALLS (HORS LES MURS)

Mon 13th August | 8:30pm | Dendy Opera Quays

Dir: David Lambert, Belgium-Canada, 2012, 95 min, French, English subtitles | Cast: Guillaume Gouix, Matila Malliarakis, David Salles

A critical hit in Cannes, this well-acted gay romance is stripped of clichés to moving effect.

Paulo, a young pianist, goes home with handsome bartender Ilir after a drunken night out. The attraction is evident. Confronted by his girlfriend, Paulo finds himself out on the street. Ilir is not seeking a relationship, but Paulo’s persistence wins him over: The two move in together and their torrid carnal affair turns into something more... One day though, Ilir leaves town for the weekend and doesn’t return.

The story goes in unexpected directions, from the warmth of its sexy, often humorous first half to the naturalistic melodrama of the second. A raw and messy romance free of the convenient narrative arcs often found in queer cinema, Beyond The Walls is an affecting and intriguing gay drama with refreshingly complex – and thus realistic - characters.

“Lambert’s greatest talent may lie in creating characters that we care about and developing a film that brings a few fresh twists to an old familiar tale.” – Screen Daily

Official Selection Cannes Critics Week 2012 

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