Andersrum (2005)

The film begins with the framing story: Toni and Ferdinand have written a book together. At a book presentation, they read from their work. The story begins in 1968: Toni is already 13, while Ferdinand is still a baby. Abandoned in the woods by his parents, he is found and adopted by Ludwig (known as “Laila”) and Harry, a gay couple. The two raise him. Ferdinand is strongly influenced by their example, and as a young adult he finds himself on the margins of society because of his effeminate behavior. He works in a perfume shop and zips around town on his pink Vespa. “Mother” Laila is convinced that her son is gay and wants to set Ferdinand up with other men. Ferdinand is actually in love with Louise, who also thinks he is gay and therefore sees him only as a very good friend. Meanwhile, Toni has become a novelist, lives almost rent-free in a show house, and is an insensitive macho who neither knows nor cares what women—and his girlfriend in particular—want. Ferdinand and Toni’s paths begin to cross. Ferdinand learns that his Louise intends to marry the accountant Rainer, while Toni is dumped by his girlfriend Marina for neglecting her. The two meet again in a pub and drown their sorrows together. Toni explains to Ferdinand why he has no luck with women, and they stagger home together. The next morning, they wake up naked in Ferdinand’s bed. Nothing has happened between them, however, though Laila, who bursts in, would like to believe otherwise. By chance, the two men meet again. This time, Ferdinand asks Toni to help him behave like a “real” man. He moves in with Toni, gets a new look, and receives lessons in masculine behavior. Ferdinand learns that men pee standing up, don’t play the recorder, don’t dance except in an absolute emergency—and then in a masculine way—and that John Travolta or his screenwriter must be a queen. Meanwhile, Toni is having trouble finishing his current novel. Instead, Ferdinand and Toni spend their time trying to win back their girlfriends. It turns out that the girlfriends are friends with each other, too. Toni convinces Louise that Ferdinand is not gay, whereupon she accuses Ferdinand of having drawn the most intimate details out of her under the pretense of being gay. Ferdinand finds Toni’s neglected manuscript on his computer and secretly finishes it on the spot. Toni gets in touch with his feelings, publicly apologizes to Marina, and proposes to her. Louise’s fiancé, Rainer, unilaterally moves the wedding date forward and also upsets Louise with his plan to move into the attic at his parents’ house. Toni discovers the finished novel and, after an initial bout of anger, finds it usable. On the planned wedding day for Rainer and Louise, Toni and Ferdinand, with Marina’s help and amid considerable commotion, prevent the couple from getting married. Louise dumps Rainer right there at the registry office. The film ends at the book presentation, where Toni concludes that the two men have learned something from each other and are now also happy with their respective “sweethearts,” whom they will marry soon.