Fogi is a Bastard

Well golly, if you're looking for the woeful tale of two cross-addicted, co-dependent, hedonists who are utterly lacking in self-esteem, then this might just be the film for you…The film, as a film, was pretty decent. The acting was good, the technical was good, and so was the final product. The story and the characters were just so damn pathetic and depressing! The best thing Beni could do at the end of the film would be to go back to his jon that was a shrink and spend some time trading sex for therapy; not. That poor kid is never going to untangle the mess that’s in his head at this point.This story has been told too many times already. And it never gets more fun to hear or watch.

I cannot decide if I like this movie or not, but it's a coming-of-age movie about a high school kid who wants love and himself mesmerized by a rock and roll lead singer (Fogi). He is a huge fan and the lead singer takes him into his circle of friends. They have great times together, but they live the stereotypes of rock bands, which is drugs, sex and rockin roll. However, the lead singer begins to spiral downward with his career and begins to distant himself from the kid, who has fallen in love with the singer. Soon, the relationship falls apart. Good times are good while it's happening, so enjoy it while it's available to you. The two overtime created a dependency of love.

To begin with: yes, Fogi is indeed a bastard! He's self-indulgent, narcissistic and angry. He is the lead singer for The Minks, a band craving stardom, but resigned to playing local clubs with local fans. You get the impression that Fogi is actually afraid to be successful. Beni, a serious fan-boy, worships Fogi and is drawn easily into their circle as a roadie. All we know of Beni is that he's an unhappy, mis-understood 16 year old, so it's no surprise that he is attracted to the rock star lifestyle, even without the glamor of fame. Fogi--as he would--immediately seduces Beni, who is more than willing to comply. The two become closer, and Beni is hopelessly in love. In the meantime, the band's unhappiness grows, and one by one they leave. That's when Fogi starts to become a REAL bastard. He sells drugs to make a living, and while on a two-week buying trip to Lebanon, Beni suffers from severe separation anxiety. He somewhat innocently finds comfort in the arms of a middle-aged psychiatrist while Fogi is away. Naturally, he feels obliged to tell Fogi of his indiscretion. Fogi doesn't seem to mind. He's miserable, on heavy drugs and he takes it out on Beni. Fogi (the bastard!) literally treats Beni like a dog, and Beni only wants to make Fogi happy. From that point, the relationship takes co-dependence to new levels. What started as a lovesick teenager's fantasy has become a life of rock-bottom degredation. How it all plays out, and the strength of the storyline is what sets this film apart from so many others with drugs, sex and rock and roll as the main ingredients."Fogi is A Bastard" is difficult viewing at times. There's always the "age" thing gnawing at us. But the film is set in Switzerland, where the age of consent is sixteen, so that didn't bother me. The acting is very good, and the inter-action between Fogi and Beni is incredible to watch. The film has a retro 70's look and feel, and the soundtrack is appropriately loud and twangy. The Direction is always right on track, even in a few scenes that must have been very difficult for all concerned. "Fogi is A Bastard" tackles a lot of road-bump issues, and does it well. This is the kind of film that may ruffle a few feathers, maybe even your own, but I was impressed by its committment to honesty. It doesn't start anything that it doesn't finish. By end titles time, I was able to say "That was a really fine movie!"

This is not an uplifting movie with the typical drug overdose ending. This one is in the trash.

This is a film about codependence. It's about two sick people and 1970s drug culture.Beni is a high schooler who's infatuated with rock frontman Fogi. The Amazon description suggests that Beni is 16, iMDB suggests he is 15. Either way, Beni is young and naive; Fogi is probably 20 or so, and manipulative. The story shows how Beni follows Fogi down into his spiral of addiction. There are scenes that involve puppy play, which shows Fogi's dominance over Beni and Beni's innocent and naive desire to please Fogi.Given the time period, the film handles most of these situations well, despite its predictability. It is well-acted. The pacing was a bit ponderous; it felt much longer than its 90 minutes. This isn't a film that will make you feel good. And unless you have some familiarity with addiction and co-dependency, you'll probably not like it much at all.

I just saw this last night rented on disc & rushed to buy it at Amazon. It's a film I'll want to watch againfor the story, but even more so for the cinematography. It could be a '70s film from its style but technically more sophisticated, looking fine on my blu-ray player & wide screen tv.The lead actors are remarkable in their believability. But, the most glorious part of this movie is the direction/choreographyof the two main characters. Each movement has a purpose, every scene like a dance. For example, ECU (extremeclose-up) of Ben as he simply & elegantly moves his cheek against Fogi's. There's enough sexual tension & passionin that moment as in the beautifully filmed sequences of lovemaking. & the director takes his time with everything.I'm a painter/photographer, so I noticed the beautiful lighting in every frame, whether a dark & grainy band performance, orgentle natural light on Fogi alone in the half-dark.It's quite simply a stunning love story. Ben makes a journey from naive to enlightened, taking us with him.Even the ending feels right, told without melodrama.If you speak any French at all, or on your 2d viewing, turn off the subtitles to watch the faces of the actors undistracted.EDIT Aug28 2012: just played the movie I bought - you can't turn off the subtitles. thumbs down to the distributor or whoever made that decision.Indie filmbuffs: rent it, buy it, stream it, take it out from the libray, borrow it from a friend.Film students: take notes.- BC

Very depressing and annoying. Don't understand why this film has relieved greater praise.

excellent movie

This film was great, if you have intelligence