›› The Visitor - Cibrâil ‹‹ a film by Tor Iben. 2011 | 69 mins | Germany. a strikingly vivid account of one man's journey of homosexual awakening. Dave says: In his debut feature writer and director Tor Iben delivers a strikingly vivid account of one man's journey of homosexual awakening. For here cue the life and times of Cibrâil (Sinan Hancili); a young man who works as a police officer by day and who spends his off-duty hours when not training for a forthcoming marathon, in the loving arms of his girlfriend and art gallery owner Christine (Martina Hesse). Well integrated in society despite his Turkish background, his life appears to be almost picture-perfect. Yet appearances can be deceptive, a fact that's highlighted upon the arrival in Berlin of Christine's cousin Marco (Engin Sert); namely a man who's eager to take in the tourist sights, along with sampling the vibrant gay scene that the city has to offer. Only when Marco's observed by Cibrâil cruising in a nearby park, long suppressed emotions are set to surface, as the officer of the law finds himself forced to face the laws of sexual attraction. In short and whilst at heart a variant of the coming out scenario, this is also a tender love story of a man coming to terms with his desire for his girlfriend's cousin. That Marco, a DJ in Rome, lives for the nightlife in all of its pulsating form, goes without saying. But he's also a man who whilst totally at ease with his sexuality, is well aware that to embrace his feelings for Cibrâil would be at the cost of his close friendship with Christine. No surprise then that here we find Iben play on that dilemma, with Cibrâil seemingly unable to stop himself from voyeuristically looking at Marco's half-naked body, being fixated on getting ever closer to his muscular torso. That the two men eventually give in to their yearning for each other is far from being a spoiler, given the set-up involved. But knowing that, Iben wisely keeps the audience waiting, nicely building up the sexual tension between the two and in particular Cibrâil's gradual acceptance of homosexual calling. Intercut with picture postcard views of the German capital, including repetitive shots of the noted 100-foot 'Molecule Man' sculpture by US artist Jonathan Borofsky, together with the sheer diversity and tolerance on display at the famous Schwules / Gay Museum, this is a film that and to his credit finds Iben flying the rainbow flag with pride, having laced his work with numerous scenes of same-sex affection, alongside brief insert footage of Berlin Pride in all of its fabulous festival glory. Only and for all of the positives of this work, a number of negatives are equally to be found in the mix, with many sequences too dark for their own good, the cinematography, frequently hand-held, often amateurish, the acting hardly award-winning, not to mention the annoying overuse of fade-to-black transitions, let alone the problems of working on a limited budget being clearly visible in the minimal staging of the piece. Yet this is also a film that takes time out to illustrate the two-edged sword that is cruising; from its sexual highs to the deadly lows of meeting malicious strangers in the night, scenes that notably feature Niklas Peters of Iben's next project The Passenger fame. Sure the end result is rough around the edges. But that said, it still makes for a touching tale of a man finally embracing his true sexuality and here Iben has deliberately gone out of his way to juxtapose Cibrâil's heterosexual façade, with a man who whilst not exactly declaring his gay calling card upon his arrival in Cibrâil's life, does however not hold back from sampling the seductive delights of the city by night. As to whether or not the two go their separate ways come close-of-play; well, that would be saying. Suffice to add that the ending may prove to be a welcome surprise for many, if a little too neat and tidy for some. Say no more. Quote: "I like him and you like him too." ›› available as part of the TLA RELEASING catalogue: 27th May, 2013 / UK. ›› revised: Saturday, 14th June, 2025. Gay Visibility - overt | Nudity - the full monty | Overall - file under ... 3 stars ›› copyright © 2025 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com ‹‹ ›› archive reference #2013031 - revised ‹‹ donations are the lifeblood of Gay Celluloid; every drop helps keep it online - thank you :)