Open House

Sebastian (Basti) takes Christopher Street Day in Berlin as an opportunity to declare his three-room apartment an Open House. A small collective of men gathers inside as an echo chamber of the “community” gathering outside. The public space, appropriated in the name of an activist politics of visibility, contrasts with an economy of the private.  

The camera maintains a respectful distance from the men of different ages who are meeting here for sex, and who probably identify as belonging to the fringes of LGBTQI+ culture. Doorways and the enfilade of the rooms frame the shots of the protagonists, so that they interact more with each other than with the camera (and the filmmaker). Basti, experienced in the swinger culture he passionately shared with his late wife, organizes the space he provides. A friend brings drinks and disappears again. In the background, an age-gap couple has already settled comfortably on the living room couch and is exchanging caresses. An older, elegantly dressed man joins them and, after undressing, first shaves his pubic area. Gestures and words are exchanged almost casually, without haste. When the pace becomes too slow, Basti’s “willy-pills” come into play. In addition to discovering commonalities in their official lives in a conversational tone, they also discuss being gay and gender fluidity.  

Jan Soldat’s archive of male bodies continues to evolve, and with this film he introduces a new element into the relational framework of queer masculinities, while Open House also makes palpable a demarcation line from the former East that extends into the present. (Nicole Kandioler)

Translation: John Wojtowicz