The Pool Boy
Anybody get the impression that Gal was doing the pool boy on the side?
share[deleted]
I disagree. I think he was trying to keep the pool boy away while Don was expected. I think Don's comment about what was going on in Gal's head referred to Gal's earlier statement that the real reason that Don had come to Spain was for Jackie, i.e. that Don loved Jackie. Of course, Don confesses to this as he is dying.
share[deleted]
he says 'stay away from here' not 'stay away from me', theres a difference... he just didnt want to put the boy in danger 'coz the looney don logan was coming around..
shareI agree, one would have to be an idiot to think gal was bonkin' the pool boy -
the way you guys have interpreted that is very stretched.
He was just trying to keep the pool boy away while don was there - finito.
a beer in the hand is worth 2 in the fridge!
Actually, I think someone would have to be an idiot to miss the numerous threads of sexual repression and guilt at work in this movie - everything from DeDe having been a former porn star, to Logan obsessed with the night he *beep* Jessica, to the crime boss conceiving the heist at an orgy, the crime boss being sodomized by the bank owner, the heist taking place in a BATH HOUSE with a bunch of nearly-naked men all cavorting in the water together. Yes, in this context, I would say repressed sex/sexual desires/sexual impulses is a huge part of this movie. And when you have the main character sweating in a skimpy speedo (with the title "Sexy Beast" scrolled over him) and he's making eyes with the half-naked pool boy, it stands to reason there is definitely some intention homoeroticism going on here from Jonathan Glazer. Now, whether that means Gal was sleeping with the pool boy is up for debate (I don't think so) - but to call someone an idiot for rightly assessing the movie's obvious and blatant themes of male sexuality is idiotic in and of itself.
shareHere, here! Well said sir/madam!
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Don does not remark on the waiter! That was Aitch! He took Jackie and Deedee to dinner on Don't dime! Why would Don react to the suggestion that he had a secret crush on Jackie??? geeze, you are the one msising the point! Don is a neurotic nut job! The pool boy is like some 3rd world urchin helping out. You ever see pics of these sort of kids in mexico or inodnesia? they all wear small ill-fitting clothes. They are poor! Don is afraid to let anyone in his mind, that's why he can turn any statement by anyone and twist it around. His whole deal with Gal: just tell me "yes or no" but never accepting the "no"
Now there are plenty of homo-erotic overtones in the movie: Teddy and the bank owner (I love James Fox! see Performance with him and Mick Jagger!) and yes, Don does think Gal is shagging the pool boy! I think you are reading too much into the line you have picked up on. He does want him to stay away from Don and avoid that "whole thing" of having to explain anything to Don no matter how trivial. He puts the wash cloth from the ice water on his crotch because he is "roasting..." in the sun! He sees the pool boy and chides him for not really working when that is what he is clearly there for. I think if there was supposed to be more the writers would have made it more "wink-wink" you know?
that's my two cents.
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Hold on a minute, the director's next film was 'birth' a film where a boy wants to get it on with an adult woman - directors trade mark?
shareThe answer is in the opening of the movie. Gal opens his eyes as he is sunning by the pool, sees the boy, watches him work for a few moments, then grabs a wet cloth and sticks it on his crotch and returns to sunning.
One would think that would be an indication of Gal liking the boy just a taddy bit too much.
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Maybe he dosn't want the sun to roast his nuts. LOL I think the Pool boy is the son they will never have.
share[deleted]
Haha it's hilarious how people can read into and interpret movies in strange and bizarre ways
1.For a start, Ray Winstone is a cockney,anyone who can have a basic interpretation of his dialect can tell he says stay away from'ere for a bit. he's doing this to keep him safe from the maniac don logan
2.The intwined hearts in the corner of your picture are just the two hearts from the bottom of Gals pool, they don't represent Don and the poolboys hearts.
3. Much in the film is made of Gals total love for his wife Dee, not his young spanish poolboy.
4.The reason the poolboy is scantily clad and the reason gal puts a cold towel on his crotch is because its HOT! gal has a whole speech about how hot it is!
5. Don has his little 'I love you gal' speech where he mentions how in his youth Gal couldn't get enough women
You're looking for something that isn't there, i assure you it it not meant to be implied that he is rogering the pool boy
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I don't think the film makers would have done that intentionally. We're supposed to feel affinity with Gal, to pity him, if he was having paid sex with an underage boy it'd be quite hard (well, impossible) for the audience to warm to his character. I think he was only telling him to stay away because he didn't want him to meet Don, and considering what happened between the two later, I don't blame him.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JUH1H-b-N5o&mode=related&search=
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You've never seen a Pedro Almodovar movie, have you? :P
In any case, I'd say that, if asked, the creators of this would say "No, he wasn't *beep* the pool boy." Honestly, I'd agree. However, it's not a focal point of the story nor is their relationship expanded on to any great extent, so it's up to the viewer to interpret that, really.
So: hard fact? No. But if that's how it seemed to you, that's fine, too.
(And yeah, I'm pretty sure the "stay away from me" bit was in relation to what Don was likely to do to... well, anyone. Don is a complete *beep* and Deedee even said she thought Gal would get hurt. And then, when the kid does turn up, he DOES get hurt. I don't see any reason to interpret it any other way, really.)
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umm he doesnt need any help around the house currently. Thats all it means. He didnt want him there when Don was there.
share[deleted]
I got the impression the pool boy may have been his son, or Gal was at least a father figure. This would also explain why DeeDee pulled out the shotgun on Don, after he'd attacked the kid, pushing a mothers protective instinct over the edge perhaps?
Either way it's down to interpretation, like the I dont need you line, I would also agree that it's a remark to keep the boy away from the dangers of Don.
his precise words are: "listen son, stay away from 'ere for a bit. I'm alright for the moment". It might sound like 'from me' to someone unfamiliar with the accent, but speaking as a southerner, it's clear as day: "from here ('ere)", NOT "from me".
Pug
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That does sound pretty convincing, but..... I'm tempted to say that the subtitles are wrong! Is that possible?? Can they be wrong? Tell me - do the subtitles really say "for a while", and not "for a bit"? Because he does definitely say "for a bit" - have a listen yourself. God, I can't believe I'm arguing about this... One of my fav films though, must have seen it 10 times. Casting was pure genius.
Pug
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Alright then, I suppose I do have to admit defeat!
Pug
This has gotten ridiculous. Very often a waiter will say to me "Can I get you anything else?" and I'll reply "No thanks, I'm all right for now." I hope he doesn't think that I want to bugger him later.
Frank Lee Deere. I don't give a damn.
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Re: The Pool Boy
by - Byzantine15 on Fri Feb 22 2008 18:18:51
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This has gotten ridiculous. Very often a waiter will say to me "Can I get you anything else?" and I'll reply "No thanks, I'm all right for now." I hope he doesn't think that I want to bugger him later.
Fatima had a fetish for a wiggle in her scootshare
It's not, see this post by le samourai delon from earlier in the thread:
Actually, I think someone would have to be an idiot to miss the numerous threads of sexual repression and guilt at work in this movie - everything from DeDe having been a former porn star, to Logan obsessed with the night he *beep* Jessica, to the crime boss conceiving the heist at an orgy, the crime boss being sodomized by the bank owner, the heist taking place in a BATH HOUSE with a bunch of nearly-naked men all cavorting in the water together. Yes, in this context, I would say repressed sex/sexual desires/sexual impulses is a huge part of this movie. And when you have the main character sweating in a skimpy speedo (with the title "Sexy Beast" scrolled over him) and he's making eyes with the half-naked pool boy, it stands to reason there is definitely some intention homoeroticism going on here from Jonathan Glazer. Now, whether that means Gal was sleeping with the pool boy is up for debate (I don't think so) - but to call someone an idiot for rightly assessing the movie's obvious and blatant themes of male sexuality is idiotic in and of itself.
Hot lesbian witches!
It's not, see this post by le samourai delon from earlier in the thread:
Actually, I think someone would have to be an idiot to miss the numerous threads of sexual repression and guilt at work in this movie - everything from DeDe having been a former porn star, to Logan obsessed with the night he *beep* Jessica, to the crime boss conceiving the heist at an orgy, the crime boss being sodomized by the bank owner, the heist taking place in a BATH HOUSE with a bunch of nearly-naked men all cavorting in the water together. Yes, in this context, I would say repressed sex/sexual desires/sexual impulses is a huge part of this movie. And when you have the main character sweating in a skimpy speedo (with the title "Sexy Beast" scrolled over him) and he's making eyes with the half-naked pool boy, it stands to reason there is definitely some intention homoeroticism going on here from Jonathan Glazer. Now, whether that means Gal was sleeping with the pool boy is up for debate (I don't think so) - but to call someone an idiot for rightly assessing the movie's obvious and blatant themes of male sexuality is idiotic in and of itself.
You resort to ad hominem "arguments" and call ME a moron?!?! C'mon man this isn't 4chan, can't we be civil?
Again, neither of us stated that Gal's sleeping with the pool boy, I think it's deliberately ambiguous, but to ignore one of the main themes of the film takes away from it's brilliance as a multi=layered piece of art.
Also, the scene when Teddy Bass (Ian McShane's character) is buggered has NOTHING to do with "there being a gay crime boss for whatever reason" (you don't make yourself seem very analytical with statements like this, on a thread specifically dedicated to analysing this film), it is to show the lengths that Teddy will go to in order to inveigle himself with Harry in order to start the chain of events leading up to the heist itself.
So we're not talking about homosexuality being one of the main themes of the film, but, as le samourai delon wrote: "repressed sex/sexual desires/sexual impulses", homoeroticism being a part of such.
Also, (again, you misread the film here completely) the gang did NOT need "a source of water for the heist" (tell me, WHY would they, and what in the film supports this assertion?), one of the pools in the bath house just happened to be right next to the main vault. The water COMPLICATES the heist (the need for diving equipment etc) and doesn't help the gang AT ALL. It would obviously have been easier to drain the pool and then break through the wall but as stated in the film they only have a small window of time (I believe it's 6 hours?) and this would not have been possible.
"Hot lesbian witches!"
"Again, neither of us stated that Gal's sleeping with the pool boy, I think it's deliberately ambiguous..."
Gal is not sleeping with the pool boy. There is no ambiguity. Gal loves Deedee with all his heart, as he says and as we see. They have each escaped less reputable occupations to find love and happiness against long odds. The pool boy is like a surrogate son. We see this established at the outset of the film. The paternal nature of Gal's affection for the boy could not be clearer. That danger is immanent, that the idyllic life Gal and Deedee have established is at risk, is foreshadowed with the boulder's arrival. It narrowly misses harming Gal, as will be the case with Don. Don threatens Gal and his "family." The stake couldn't be higher. Gal could be killed for refusing to take part in the heist, killed for Don's death, or returned to jail should the heist go wrong.
Sexy Beast is much richer and deeper than a "heist" film. While I agree that themes of repression and desire are at play, I believe the pool boy is a son figure, not a target of Gal's repressed lust. It is Don who is repressed. He rebukes himself in the mirror while shaving. He has told Gal that he "quite liked [Jackie]." Jackie has also found happiness. Aitch makes her laugh and she loves him. Jackie is the real reason Don has invited Gal to take part in the heist. He is alone "watching telly" when the call comes regarding the heist. He has not found the love and happiness that Gal has. He has not escaped the pack of violent criminals, and envies Gal. He is loath to admit this, even to himself.
I love how your interpretation of the film is the only true and correct one. While anyone else's (different from yours) is just "wrong"
I'm sure Gal does love his wife very much. And he's doing the pool boy too. PROVE me wrong!
Of course you can't.
And I can't prove Im right.
Everyone get over yourselves. Unless you wrote the movie you have no idea.
I'm not specifically calling you a moron. I'm calling anyone who thinks that Gal is nailing the poolboy is a moron. Oh, and I'll calling that pstravinksy a pervert because anyone who looks at a 13 year old and says "he's highly doable" (His specific words) is a pervert.
It's not ambiguous. It's not a possibility. Anyone who thinks it is a possibility or that the movie leaves it as ambiguous is a moron.
Teddy didn't do that to get close to the banker. Before that, Teddy didn't know Harry. Teddy thought of the job after he met Harry, not before. So why was there a gay crime boss? What did it add to the movie? What motive did it explain? The answer is "It didn't add anything." Having the banker named Harry or Harriet wouldn't change the movie one bit.
Everyone talks about one of the themes being "repressed sex." I don't see it. The only thing repressed was the desire to act against Don because they both were scared to death of him.
I saw the water as what takes out all of the security & surveillance equipment in the vault. Sure, the water complicated the heist but it was needed. If they didn't need the water, then why not drain it? I saw your point about it taking too long, but even if it would take time, why not start draining it? I don't think it would take that long and even if it did, as the water drained the heist would be easier as it drained. They needed the water for the heist.
Go back to the flashback scene within a flashback when the "underboss" with the glasses is explaining to Don about the orgy..."and who's sitting behind him? Only the boss of (name of the bank)"....pointing to the fact that Teddy knows who he is. And like I said I don't think it's a sign of Teddy's homosexuality as much as his willingness to do anything to get in with Harry. Teddy would know of the bank no matter how much they didn't need to advertise, it was his job.
Lots of reviewers picked up on the repressed sex themes in the film, here's just one. http://www.avclub.com/article/the-new-cult-canon-isexy-beasti-2411
And even if the water could be drained in time (it couldn't, do you know how long it takes to drain a small swimming pool?) if the robbers were masked up I fail to see how the cameras would be a problem. If there were 24 hour security guards observing the cameras in the vault then they'd have known something was wrong as soon as the wall broke open and water started pouring in! If there weren't round the clock guards observing the cams then it didn't matter either way.
"Hot lesbian witches!"
Wow, the idea of this scares you a lot doesn't it? You might want to look deep into yourself to see why you're so over the top nuts about this. To the point that you're yelling and name calling over it. Lol
sharesome people have sick minds - he says hes a spanish boy who helps him round the villa - when youve got a lot of money you get hired help
sharei thought that gal was gettin it on with the pool boy at first but after watching the movie it seems to me that the pool boy represents to gal "pleasure." he has finally found in spain the oasis he has always dreamed of, where he can lay out in the sun and get the occasional erection and wait for his sexy wife to come home. of course don represents the exact opposite--degrading men and women, calling everyone a c---, baiting gal with sexual humiliation--and threatens to take gal away from his oasis. when don hits the kid, that is the last straw for these people--they realize what is at stake (don is here to ruin their oasis)--and shoot and beat him. the kid represents "innocence" too perhaps--he laughs, looks up to gal, stands up to a man no one else would, and has that overall endless summer beach bum sensibility, working but also goofing around. gal wants to be like him--"sexy" but not a "beast"
share[deleted]
I just watched the film and Gal very clearly says "HERE", not "ME".
His exact words are:
"Listen son, stay away from HERE for a bit. I'm alright for the moment".
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You have rubbish subtitles. IF you actually listen to what he's saying and have a good grasp of English accents then it's clear as day that Gal says "HERE".
On my subtitles it says HERE. These are the correct subtitles.
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Ray Winstone can be tricky to understand sometimes. There doesn't seem to be much in the movie suggesting a gay relationship between Gal and Enrique and if you watch the whole movie with the subtitles, there are some definite mistakes, e.g., in the kitchen scene with Don and Gal, Gal says "I'm retired" but subtitles say "I'm really tired." I wouldn't be surprised if he said either ME or HERE, but HERE makes more sense since I don't think there's a relationship there.
share[deleted]
Not on my copy. He says just what the subtitles say. Clean the wax out of your ears.
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What???? Is that video supposed to prove your point? He very very very clearly says HERE in that clip. There is no way on earth that he says ME.
share[deleted]
I would admit I was wrong if I was wrong. The clip shows that he says "here". My subtitles say "here". My dvd says "here". Your dvd also says "here". The only thing that doesn't say "here" is your subtitles. Your subtitles are wrong.
share[deleted]
I heard "...stay away from 'ere..." as well. And yes, subtitles occasionally differ from what is the spoken dialogue on screen; especially on the television. The boy didn't look like he was anybody's bum boy to me. More like a mascot/surrogate son-type as has been mentioned before. I've seen lots of young guys hang around with older teens or men with money. The older men took an interest in them but not necessarily in an overtly sexual manner. It's an adolescent thing. There a homoerotic undercurrent throughout the film, though. All I can say is I wish I had a pool:-)
share[deleted]
If your sub-titles say 'here" then there were 2 takes of this scene at least Not at all unusual. Which would indicate that the wording was a matter of thought and discussion. So the relationship of the poolboy and Gal was considered in the light of sex. That is indisputable.
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How? I'm English too.
shareYeah wrong subtitles I would assume. Mine say "here", too.
But if I watch that clip ganymed provided, with the poor audio and no subs, I couldn't tell you whether he said "here", or "me". I am not english, though.
And yes, I think that their was "something" implied. Not sure what, though, hehe. Very interesting movie.
In my copy it's definetely "here", not "me". I also like the idea that the couples see the boy as the son they never had.
shareI don't get why you keep showing pictures and videos to prove your point, when even I, who am not british, not even american for that matter, can understand he says "here." Have you ever even listened to Ray in an interview? His cockney accent is so hard to understand, especially when it comes to "h" words. And believe me, I had my share of wrong subtitles in most movies I watch, since I like to use closed caption to better understand them.
"I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally."
Love the film, but seriously, for all those who have written more than 10 messages on this issue about the pool boy, get a life, esp Antinous_32, seriously, I think you want the pool boy to be gay, are you into that sort of thing, I mean its all good being gay and all, but just chill, who really cares...
shareoccasional erection?
uh...
I'm a total slasher, through and through, but never for a second got that vibe.
"I want my Liberace record back. It's mine!"
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hey Antinious, I don't know why you keep insisting on something that is clearly not there, even after Gal says it, he playfully boxes with the boy, like a father would with a son, not what you're suggesting (or even more of a cop out - suggesting that the filmaker is suggesting).
share[deleted]
Homosexuality is in the eye of the beholder. Suffice to say we know where your eyes gaze. And I personally could care less that "Sexy Beast is wryly homoerotic." It's not OVERTLY so, except for the obvious scenes, so I choose to believe that the relationship between Gal and the pool boy is not a sexual one.
share[deleted]
Yeh, BLAH BLAH BLAH. It's my loss that I choose not to add spice to my life by acknowledging the hint of a pedophilic relationship between Enrique (born in 1986 and age 13 or 14 when this movie was filmed) and Gal. I may be prejudice to pedophilic relationships but it's better than being a sick bas-turd.
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Well like Lontano-2 stated, even if that was one's initial impression, it was quickly dispelled shortly into the movie.
sharewhen i first wacthed this i thought there was a hint at a sexual relationship with the pool boy and gal. however this merely comes from reading to much into the first scene. gal puts ice on his crotch and the music played is peaches a song about sunbathing and eyeing up women so in relationship to the music it is possible to accidentally interpret his glances at the pool boy as sexual. i think this is done deliberately and i was pleased when the narrative progressed to realise that he was just and surrogate father fiure and genuinely fond of the child.
shareThe review would be okay, if this author hadn't called the pool boy "girlish". Is every boy, who doesn't have super-short hair looking like a girl? typical American ......
shareOh, good grief...the pool boy is supposed to be their surrogate son!
Check out my Lost Blog: http://eyemsick.blogspot.com
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Clearly you missed the subterrain flow of homoerotic clues that make the film so exciting and original. You take the surface story and think that's all there is, a warm and fuzzy father son relationship. So typical of the self proclaimed film critic!
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LOL! I may have taken the bait, but at least I haven't drunk the kool aid...
Check out my Lost Blog: http://eyemsick.blogspot.com
The pool boy represents innocence, as the only character in the story without a connection to organized crime, current or previous. He represents what Gal wishes he had, or rather what he never lost by getting involved with gangsters. Gal is protective towards him as he doesn't want the boy corrupted, lured or hurt by a life of crime as he was. The whole reason for Gal moving to Spain was to get as far away as possible from his old life, to try and bury the past (which he literally does with Don) and the Pool boy is the embodiment of Gals new life. When he tells him to 'stay away from 'ere for a while' he is trying to protect the boy, thus protecting the sancity of his new life.
The whole film is laced with imagery and metaphor pertaining to the central question of 'can you ever really forget your past?' and that try as you might, the past won't forget you. Gal sees the Pool boy as a shot at redemption, here is a young, impressionable character who looks up to Gal, and Gal, in a fatherly role (as previously mention in this thread) has the opportunity to steer him clear of the mistakes he made as a young man.
Don, on the other hand is the exact opposite. Loud, brash and unrelenting, he embodies the past that literally won't let you forget, gnawing and grinding until you relent.
As for the homoerotic subtext, anytime you have two males standing around wearing very little you are going to get these suggestions. I doubt it was the intention of the filmmaker to create this theme, when the one i just explained is far more central to the story.
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Laius, "(the pool boy)suggests the innocent savage. But is Gal innocent in his relationship with the boy? My take is the film is presented with the tongue firmly in cheek"
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Gal, protective father figure or sick pedophile? Both possibilities are intended by the filmmaker, so they must both be acknowledged. For Antinous_32, where homoeroticism lurks in every corner, to deny the homoeroticism in the film, you are substituting "warm and fuzzy" for "exciting and original." But for the rest of us, we'll let the filmmaker have his fun, but we'll go with southpaw 6, "The pool boy represents innocence, as the only character in the story without a connection to organized crime, current or previous. He represents what Gal wishes he had..."
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man, watch the film without looking for paedo subtext for f u cks sake!!!!! your convincing yourselfs of someting that isnt there!
share[deleted]
Gal, protective father figure or sick pedophile? Both possibilities are intended by the filmmaker, so they must both be acknowledged.
Amazing this thread has been dragged on this long. The opening scenes with the pool boy was far from subtle and quite clear. The whole subtle Freudian father/son eroticsm debate is laughable as the sexual relationship was alot more than implicit and not really open interpretation.
Straight or gay, it seemed clear that the 'hero' of this film was sexing the poolboy in his free time when the wife was away, which many fans of the film find difficult to accept:
*'Hero' in skimpy swin shorts looks at pool boy in semi skimpy clothing doing his chores...and then covers his 'burning manhood.'*
Anyway it was an ok film, better than most British gangster flicks and was only let down by Kingsly's OTT acting.
Don't get a cat, all it'll do is plot your death.
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I think the original poster was joking, and this has now become a stupid thread. It's sad when you think that it's had the longest life on this board.
And to the person who wrote "...only let down by Kingsly's OTT acting". You don't know what you're talking about. Even though there were comical elements to Kingsley's character, intimidating people like Don Logan exist, believe me.
Nah, I don't think it was meant to be a joke.
> Dan Brown's error: http://home.arcor.de/berzelmayr/st-john.html
I think the op was serious, coz many people like myself who innocently watched the film picked up the obvious sexual text between the main protagonist and the pool boy.
As for Kingsly's performance...it seemed OTT. Maybe the character was meant to have a larger than life quality to him, but to me he came across as being to cartoon like in the delivery. Maybe it was just his accent...
Don't get a cat, all it'll do is plot your death.
There's more occurred to me. Don is very interested in who the pool boy is, what does he know about Gal? Also Don says the line 'You disgust me Gal' at one point.
I don't think the idea of an illegal relationship with the boy is spelled out to us, but there's definitely hints. The filmmakers must have known the hints were there, otherwise he's a somewhat unnecessary character don't you think? What's the point of the scene at the start of the film with Gal watching him if these hints aren't intentional?
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Ha... are you serious?
share