Fuenfsechstel

Two things surprise me about the response to this German short film. First, it didn't win any major awards. It should have. Second, it was never expanded into what could have been an incredible Broadway play. This film captures its audience gradually, reaches an emotional climax, and requires only one scene--perfect for live performance.

The movie starts out inanely enough--kids at a boarding school playing Truth, Dare, or Lemon in a gymnasium at night. They start by raising their beers in a toast to someone named "Tim." We don't yet know who Tim is or why he isn't there.

The game proceeds through funny and sexy moments during which clothing items are lost for refused dares. Then, more contentious moments arise ... moments that test friendships. After one such moment, David, played by the talented and winsome Tom Gramenz, 20, predicts that a girl in the group may exact revenge on him when he faces his next dare. (Down to his boxers, he would likely accept.) His fear comes to pass, and the conclusion that follows is nothing short of breathtaking--a baring of mind, body, and soul reminiscent of Peter Firth's barn loft soliloquy in Equus (1977).

All five principal actors do a masterful job, but Gramenz's handling of the film's final moments will leave you in rapt silence as the screen goes dark.