"Horseplay" and the cinema of Marco Berger
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 3:00PM 
HORSEPLAY (2022)
Last week, Marco Berger's Horseplay enjoyed a limited release in American theaters. The film is the Argentinean director's latest purview of queer desire among straight-passing men, full of his trademark languidness and crotch shots galore. In some ways, it represents an Ozu-like return to heretofore explored premises, with both variations and shapeshifting tone making the virtually identical feel radically distinct. For those who've been following Berger's career, it might be a rewarding foray into violent bleakness. For viewers first encountering his oeuvre, it makes for a strange introduction.
With that in mind, let's think back to the auteur's evolution, from blue-balling short exercises to the latent disquiet of Horseplay…