Tom and Ajani are outsiders in their small conservative village in The Netherlands. Together, they dream of freedom and a new life as film students in Amsterdam, where their relationship no longer has to be a secret. When they finally leave their old life in the countryside behind, they are confronted with the norms and social constructs of the big city that turn out to be completely different than what they imagined. While Ajani thrives in the Amsterdam queer scene, Tom struggles to find his place, putting a strain on their now public relationship. In this new world, freed from always being hated for who they are, who will they become?
An old saying about those who were once sheltered from the ways of the world but miraculously blossom when exposed to the panorama of life astutely maintains, “How are you going to keep ʼem down on the farm once they’ve seen Paris?” It’s a sentiment that’s equally applicable to many other cosmopolitan, urbane locales, such as the free-wheeling, uninhibited pace of life in Amsterdam, as a gay male couple from a small Dutch town discover when they relocate to the big city to attend film school. In many ways, it’s a dream come true, providing them with an opportunity to cast off the shackles of a restrictive, closeted lifestyle in favor of something eminently more liberating. But is it really the panacea they’ve long hoped for? For Tom (Bas Keizer), it’s more than he bargained for as he struggles to cast off his conservative smalltown ways (including continuing to insist that he’s bisexual and not the out and proud gay man he’s been reluctant to openly acknowledge), while, for his partner, Ajani (Jefferson Yaw Frempong-Manson), it’s a chance to finally cut loose and truly be himself. Tom is also disappointed with his film school experience, finding it difficult to fit in as a would-be arthouse auteur among peers who are far less constrained (and less condescending) in their creativity and artistic sensibilities. Ajani, meanwhile, grows increasingly concerned that his partner is having trouble at school and not availing himself of the city’s unrestrained LGBTQ+ experience, staying stuck in his uptight ways. Over time, these conditions give rise to a disconnect between them, one that threatens the future of their relationship and the end of a dream they had long awaited to fulfill. Writer-director Dennis Alink’s latest provides viewers with an insightful look into the urban gay lifestyle in both its positive and negative attributes, not to mention how two seemingly likable characters can both be major jerks when they want to be, both with their emerging circle of friends and with each other. Shot in stunningly gorgeous black and white in quasi-documentary style, the film serves up an array of both gorgeous and “ugly” imagery, giving audiences an unfettered look at a community that clearly has two sides to it. Admittedly, the narrative at times meanders a bit too much for its own good, but it generally does a commendable job at showing rather than telling in conveying its message, making its points and presenting its story. “Out” is a film that earnestly makes clear “gay” doesn’t always equate to “happy,” but it also lets us know that the satisfaction level of our experience depends heavily on what we ultimately do – or don’t do – with it.
