Film Review: Swoon

Most people expect films set in the 1920s to be fluffy and romantic, or even a little bit silly, but if you're looking for sweetness in Swoon then you'd be hard pressed to find a single drop. Even so, I rather enjoyed it, even if I was confused at times, not being familiar with the  Leopold-Loeb case. The whole film was a black and white nightmare that came in and out of focus and jumped scenes like a dream sequence, atmospheric, broody and surreal.

The story follows the gay relationship between Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two lovers with a penchant for danger and thrills. At a first glance their love is sweet yet reckless, as they kiss out in the open during homophobic times and vandalise properties, breaking glass windows and stirring up trouble. This feckless kind of life would have undoubtedly led to trouble the way they were heading, yet it seemed that they had no reason to kill a poor child, which caused their downfall and imprisonment. I felt that this wasn't very well explained in the movie, and I was left wondering what on earth made them kidnap a boy and murder him, and why they were so cool and collected about it. Either way, it was very disturbing.

 I wish there were more happy films about LGBT people set during historical times, especially in the 1920s. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd be pleased to hear them!