Love that not even a war can destroy.
A French peasant hides a wounded German soldier during World War II. They slowly fall in love. Philippe Vallois was directing Gay/Bi cinema in France well before it was mainstream. His tone here alternates between rustic romance, gross out comedy and surreal thriller. The slack pacing, and some triggery animal abuse, keeps me from recommending We Were One Man, except as a historical curiosity.
Want to know more? Then read my spoiler filled recap.
Act One: Risk
Scene 1: A French Village. World War II is nearly over.
(Enter GUY, a French Peasant suffering from a vague mental illness. Whimsical music plays).
GUY: Little town. It’s a quiet village. Every day like the one before. Little town, full of little people. Waking up to say…
ROLF (A German Soldier): Help!
GUY: You’re hot. You’re hurt. I’ll take you to my cabin.
Scene 2: The Cabin
(GUY hides ROLF’s gun)
GUY: Hey assassin! What happened to you?
ROLF: The French Resistance shot my car and it crashed. I’m better now. I should leave.
GUY: NO! DON’T GO! (GUY chases him. Whimsical music plays. ROLF gives up… for now.)
Scene 3: The Farmlands
(GUY sleeps with his girlfriend JENINE.)
JENINE: I’m underwritten.
(ROLF tries to escape wearing plants as camouflage. He looks silly.)
GUY: I can totally see you. If you try to leave I’ll… I’ll beat you up!
(They sexy wrestle. GUY loses.)
GUY: THEN JUST GO! YOU HATE ME! EVERYONE HATES ME! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AG-
ROLF: I’ll stay.
GUY: Okay.
Act Two: Romance
Scene 4: The Countryside.
(GUY and ROLF frolic through the countryside. They sexy wrestle some more. Whimsical music plays.)
ROLF: There’s something sweet and almost kind. But he was mean, and he was coarse and unrefined. And now he’s dear and so unsure. I wonder why I didn’t see it there before.
GUY: I had a dream about an orchestra. The musicians killed each other when someone played a wrong note.
ROLF: Subtle. Anyway, I found a dog. I love him.
DOG: Arf.
GUY: I’M NOT JEALOUS! This is Jenine. She’s my girlfriend.
JENINE: Hi. Why are you still here?
ROLF: I’ve never had a friend before. Back home everyone was afraid of me because… Never mind.
JENINE: I’m not digging this homoerotic tension. (Leaves)
ROLF: What happened to my dog?
GUY: Let’s go fishing.
(They go fishing. Then try to drown each other. Then get drunk and dance together.)
ROLF: Can we just do this?
(ROLF tries to kiss GUY. GUY shoves him away. ROLF leaves.)
GUY: I didn’t realize this was a gay movie.
Act Three. Triggers and Tragedy.
Scene 5: The Cabin
[spoiler title=Spoilers](GUY spends the day searching for ROLF and hallucinating. ROLF returns.)
GUY: I KILLED YOUR DOG!
ROLF: I’LL KILL YOU!
(They fight. GUY has a seizure. ROLF holds him.)
ROLF: What’s your tragic backstory?
GUY: I escaped from a mental asylum when the Germans came. Then I took shelter in this abandoned cabin.
ROLF: Kiss me like I was a woman.
GUY: Come to bed assassin.
(They have awkward sex. Whimsical music plays.)
ROLF: This soundtrack is obnoxious.
Scene 6: The next morning.
(JENINE and her FATHER catch them in bed.)
JENINE: I can’t say I’m surprised.
JENINE’S FATHER: It’s a German soldier! Grab him villagers!
GUY: Wait. You have a father?
(VILLAGERS drag ROLF away)
VILLAGERS: Kill the beast! Kill the beast!
(GUY grabs the hidden gun and shoots at the VILLAGERS. They flee.)
ROLF: You saved me.
(GUY shoots ROLF.)
ROLF: Why did you do that?
GUY: I’m not sure. It’s ambiguous.
ROLF: This scene is really sad.
(Whimsical music plays)
ROLF and GUY: What the hell!?
(ROLF dies. GUY places ROLF’s body in a grave and climbs into the grave with him.)
GUY: Most gay movies made before 1995 end like this.
THE END[/spoiler]
Director Philippe Vallois’s homoerotic mockumentary, Johan, had been selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 1976. We Were One Man was less successful. Still it’s interesting to find a 70’s m/m romance where politics causes greater conflict than sexuality. Piotr Stanislas, who played Rolf, moved into the bisexual porn industry. Vallois and Serge Avedikian, who played Guy, continue to make narrative films.
Any interest in seeing We Were One Man? Do you find tragedies cathartic? For more reviews of LGBT+ media click here.
Next week I’ll recap the 1964 film The Leather Boys.