There are some godawful gay-themed films out there. The list is so long and, frankly, kind of shameful that they ever had a budget that I won’t mention any titles. But every once in a while, there comes a decent film, semi-popular amongst the gays. For the last few years, it’s been Shelter, Were the World Mine, and last year, it was Undertow. Although Patrik Age 1.5 is a 2008 film, it somehow seems to have been left somewhere in the background of other gay films.
Which is a shame because it’s one of the best gay-themed films I’ve seen.
Patrik tells the story of a gay couple living in Sweden who have moved into the suburbs to try and start a family. They’re on the waiting list to adopt a child and when an offer arrives, they grab the chance. Unfortunately, there’s been a typo on the form (see how critical proper grammar is??) and they take in a 15 year old homophobic deliquent. Lots of room for laughs there.
What makes the film so remarkably good is that it feels real. While watching, I was pleasantly surprised at how realistic all the characters were. Some of the best characterization I’ve seen! The acting, is also really top-notch and certain scenes are really emotional and moving.
You can probably guess the ending of Patrik Age 1.5 but in a way, it fits into everything in the film. What could have been an extremely corny, cliched film with stereotypical characters reveals itself to be much, much more than that. Fantastic film.
Grade: A

Patrik Age 1.5 poster