WATCH: This gay boot camp drama with an unlikely romance is based on real-life events
previously reported on Elegance Bratton’s The Inspection, which stars Jeremy Pope as a young recruit, and was just met with raves when it debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival.But there’s another film out of the Venice festival that caught our eye: It’s called Eismayer, from Austrian director David Wagner, and it’s inspired by the story of an Armed Forces lieutenant who fell in love with one of his recruits.Gerhard Liebmann stars as the eponymous Charles Eismayer, a hard-nosed instructor who has developed quite a reputation at the barracks for being demanding and pitiless.
He also happens to be deeply closeted, keeping the secret from everyone—including his wife and young son.Related: Jeremy Pope plays a gay Marine recruit in highly anticipated drama ‘The Inspection’But the arrival of a new, openly gay recruit (Luka Dimić) at the barracks gets under Eismayer’s skin, and begins to chip away at his rigid demeanor.The film presents a fascinating flip on the boot camp drama, taking us on an emotional journey of the hardened—and typically unfazed—lieutenant.
In nearly every frame of the film, Liebmann’s layered turn as Eismayer has been hailed as a career-making performance for the actor who’s work isn’t widely known outside of Austria.After premiering in Venice, Eismayer will head to the Zurich Film Festival later this month before opening in Austria in late October.
