Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Sommersturm" or "Summer storm" is a German 90-minute (without credits) movie from over 10 years ago. It was written and directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner and is probably still his most known work. Either this or "Krabat". The lead actor here is Robert Stadlober and I remember he was pretty popular back then. However, class prevails and lack thereof as well as he isn't famous today anymore. And yet they made the impossible possible by finding a co-lead to him that is an even weaker actor than Stadlober. Man Kostja Ullmann is really unbearably bad. I swear he had the same face expression during the entire movie. By today's standards, the biggest star in here is probably Hanno Koffler who has emerged as one of the most lauded German actors from his age group in recent years.In reference to my title for this review, I would like to say that the genre of gay-themed movies is especially dominant in terms of short films, but occasionally you will also find one in terms of full features. And sadly, this one here is pretty disastrous. But maybe it's also their own fault. Many of these gay-themed films have rating that are ridiculously high. It seems that the inclusion of gay people or homosexuality as a topic is enough for many to appreciate a film like this. Talk about low expectations. And if they are like that, they actually deserve to be exposed to garbage like this movie here. On a more positive note, I believe some of the supporting actors are actually talented in here, but they were written so badly that it hurts, such as the coach of the rowing team. And how is almost everybody in that training camp gay apparently? At least, that was the impression I got and 50% of those who weren't actually were, but were still hiding in the closet. Very bizarre and unrealistic. Bachleda plays her part well and looks stunning. Probably the best performance from the bunch. She was almost the only that felt authentic. Not enough though to make this extremely flawed film work. Not recommended.

gswanson17 Summer Storm sets itself up to be, in a sense, a mindless teenage movie about sexual angst, frustration, and the desire to be 'understood'. Or at least, this is what I thought it would be seeing after viewing the trailer and hearing several reviews. However, this myth on my behalf was quickly shattered upon viewing the film. The film takes into account more than simply a throw away story, but assesses the characters feelings, and mirrors in the films pacing as what can truly be referred to as a storm.The most compelling thing about the film is undoubtedly the story. In many teenage based movies (American, at least) the plot revolves around a relationship that seems improbable. Now, while either these movies let this relationship occur, or they don't, they are still acknowledging the possibility that this could happen (i.e. Jim with Nadia in American Pie),Summer Storm breaks this trend to show the sheer impossibility of Tobi's (Robert Stradlober) situation. Achim's (Kostja Ullman) heterosexuality doesn't diminish Tobi's chances of having a relationship with him, but they completely destroy them. Contrarily, there is absolutely no hope that Anke (Alicja Bachleda-Curus) will ever be able to have a relationship with Tobi due to his homosexuality. Unlike almost every other teen-film that comes to mind, this film doesn't focus on the characters' attempts to have this impossible relationship, but rather, focuses on their realizations that this relationship will never occur. This heavy plot gives the theme and overall tone of the film a relatively depressing one. To alleviate much of this despondency, the director (Marco Kreuzpaintner) utilizes both filming techniques, as well as side plots to create a unique blend of highs and lows that represent very well, the tumultuous twists and turns of a storm.To combat the often depressing nature of the film there are many scenes of comedic relief spread throughout the film. In fact, Tobi, at the beginning, shows an exorbitant amount of exuberance and humor. This fades, however as the movie progresses into a much darker realm. The appearance of the "Queerstrokes" also adds a lot of humor to the otherwise seriousness of Tobi's rowing crew.The film also parallels the motions of a storm in the actions and feelings of the characters. Tobi and Achim start out as well adjusted best friends who do everything together, and are looking forward to an exciting time at rowing camp. The apex lies in the middle of the film in the forest and is definitely noticeable as the climax of the film. Immediately following is, in a sense, the eye of the storm. The denuma is extraordinarily long, but serves as aftermath to the storm or conflict that preceded it. The film ends on a happy note with a sense of possibility, and in my opinion parallels that of the film Get Real (1998).Summer Storm is unique because it doesn't focus on the "Coming Out" aspect that many gay teen films focus on. It acknowledges that the character is already out on his own terms, and the friction lies over his feelings about his best friend. This tension and how it plays out over the film, combined with aspects of comedic relief and pacing of the film let the audience become immersed in the story and think in terms of the characters and their struggles.

jan70 Being German I really appreciate the authenticity of the movie. Given the fact that director Marco Kreuzpaintner was in his late 20s when he wrote the script and that it was nearly autobiographical, the story takes place in the early 1990s when he was 17-18 years old, and everything from the worn 1970s bus they use for their journey in the beginning to the lack of cell-phones (no way for a teenager to hide in the forest nowadays - just call him and the ringing will tell you which tree he sits on ;) !!) exactly fits into this period of time. It was also the early 1990 when more and more exclusively gay-lesbian sports-clubs occurred in the bigger cities over here (for soccer, scuba-diving, rowing, etc.), and they almost always use some kind of a pun for their names("Vorspiel" (foreplay), "Gaysha" (Karate)), to name a few), just like Queerschlag did, which exists in reality to this very day. On that background, my reception of the movie is that it is more about Tobi's love for Achim than about his coming out. Tobi has fallen in love with his best friend, and that is something that is happening to young gays all the time. It is a very painful process when you have to realize that your mate, who shared his time and feelings with you for years and years, other than yourself will not be able to turn that friendship into love and sexual tenderness. Tobi's coming out at the end is only the result of the fact that he learned that Achim will never be able to love him the way he does and that he has to accept this. So after all this movie is both about accepting heterosexual and homosexual love. By the way, as some of the posters here misunderstood, the "lake" were the story takes place is in fact a 100+ years old reservoir (thats why you see the sandy banks in summer), and it is not in Bavaria, but in an area called "Bergisches Land" a few hundred miles north of Bavaria (if you want to find it in Google Earth, search for "Wipperfürth").

viverito This German film was very well done. Kudos to it's young Director Marco Kreuzpaintner for making a film with an emotionally serious underlying message and wrapping it all up in a cute entertaining well crafted package. Summer Storm is about THE summer that champion rower Tobi (Robert Stadlober) comes to the terms with his homosexuality and the temporary upheaval that it creates for him and all those around him. The metaphor of the Summer Storm that swoops in and turns everything upside down was a smart idea. Summer Storm reminded me a lot of the French film Wild Reeds Directed by Andre Techine which is more like a Summer Hurricane but hey to each his own. For some people the experience is a storm, for others a hurricane and for some maybe even a super nova.