Swoon

A film that borderlines on greatness.
In my 11th grade English class, we were given a study on the case of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, two college students who came from well-to-do families, who committed a most gruesome act of murder against a small boy by the name of Bobby Franks. The question throughout our studies: why would two well-off young men, with everything going for them, do such a thing to ruin their futures?

Tom Kalin's "Swoon" answers that question in gritty detail, using an unrelenting style that is admirable but brings little emotion to the film's central story. Told in black and white, with small bits of narration cast into the sequence of events, the movie provides us a look we've never seen before at the duo, one that is intriguing at times, though becomes tedious and dismal in others.

Daring in its approach to reveal the truth behind the scandal, Kalin's script goes into the relationship of Loeb and Leopold, whose sexual relationship with one another serves as the drive for their...

A stunningly beautiful and original film
"Swoon" starts out with a surrealistic reading of Leopold van Sacher-Masoch's "Venus in Furs." The tone set in this opening scene, both in the artistic and narrative sense, continues throughout the film. Told first through the journal entries of its two main characters and then through an objective, reporter-like narration, "Swoon" presents the story of the real-life murderers in a fashion that is both historically accurate and cinematic. The research is admirable, creating a depiction of the events that stays true to real life and allowing the audience to peek inside the minds of Leopold and Loeb. (Save for the film's one flaw: a minor inaccuracy that occurs when Leopold mentions a fantasy that is sadistic, when he was in fact masochistic.) The performances delivered by the two leads are breathtaking, turning the characters into humane figures while never trying to excuse their actions. The directing is ingenius, creating an atmosphere that not...

Great black and white/brutal irony
I was really impressed by the quality of this film, particularly considering its budget. Good black and white shooting is nearly lost in my opinion but apparently the photographer of this one had studied his Earnie Haller and Leni Refenstahl. I also found it highly ironic that in this retelling of the story that Leopold and Loebe escaped death due to a lack of understanding of homosexuality. They were declared mentally deficient by virtue of phrenology and old freudian neurosis. Had the establishment of the 20's understood homosexuality, Leopold and Loeb would surely have hanged, for they were guilty as can be. I was very pleasantly surprised at how good this film was. When it came out, any film with a gay theme got a good review so I have avoided the late 80's and early 90's gay movies. This film was quite the exception. Very good.

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