I can count on one hand the number of subtitled films I've watched — and prior to watching Patrik 1.5 I'd have wagered its place would be on my middle finger. The Swedish film showcases the perfect gay couple, their new suburban home, and an adoption gone awry, saddling them with a homophobic, criminal teenager due to a typing error. No thanks. It all sounded a bit trite, ridden with tired plot devices. Then I watched it. Beautifully shot, its place wasn't on my middle finger — but rather my thumb, pointing straight up and a bit green from the film's symbolism. Goran loves to garden; his husband, Sven, loves to drink. It turns out that Patrik, 15 and not 1.5, loves to garden as well — and the film blossoms into something beautiful. I've never seen another Swedish film, but if they're anything like Patrik 1.5, I'm getting a passport. (Or updating my Netflix queue.) Friday, Oct. 16, 9 p.m., Tampa Theatre. —Ryan Jent
More reviews at the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival page.
