A Ilha dos Amores Proibidos

For some inexplicable reason this movie pitched up on TCM. Thought Id seen everything this somewhat tired channel has to offer... I couldn't stop watching. The movie seethes with subliminal and explicit homo erotic content in a way that I think was a ahead of its time. The black and white photography is very moody and the performances command attention. The influence of Italian neo-realism is very present. It has that distinctive style of some 50s drama, where the scenes develop without much explanation moving the story forward. When the young gangster arrives on the island you know something is going on, without having been given all the usual clues you find in American movies.