So tell me, were they gay?

America is a largely homophobic country, which is why this film was marketed toward the gay segment of the population, but in most other parts of the world, films like this, which depict all aspects of life, are shown and largely accepted by the general public because the audience, if not entirely accepting of non-hetro culture, at least understands that alternate lifestyles do exist.

There is nothing gay about the characters. They just had a close friendship. In fact there is a scene where they go up ladder to spy on the school waitress undress. Unlikely behaviour for gay youths.

Of course, I don't know wheter they were gay or not. Since it's fiction, nobody really knows. There's only one thing I would like to point out: there's no need to identify their sexual orientation to fully appreciate the movie. Instead of giving depth to the discussion, this attempt may result in an unwanted shift of focus and loss of perspective.
Moreover, as in every human behaviour, it's not adviceable to speak in black or white terms: there are shades (a lot!). I mean that, at times, a close friendship might assume a short-term (homo)erotic connotation. I think that everybody might have experienced such a pulsion at least once in life. Then it depends on a lot of factors if the pulsion will be supported or repressed (strict behavioural codes, as in the movie, and social taboos play a considerable part in this), but this doesn't change how involved people feel.
In my opinion this struggling (brilliantly conveyed in the bathroom scene, but present as a subtext in all the movie) gives even more depth to the characters WITHOUT marking the film as to be conceived for audiences other than mainstream.
Physical and intellectual attraction cannot be controlled. Some times they give joy, some others make you think hard about yourself. It's life (far beyond gay vs hetero quarrels).
Personally, I would recommend this movie. It has a lot to say at several levels.


PS: Sorry for mistakes, english is not my first language.

Dear all,

the two guys are just friends. The US dvd cover is misleading. But if you like to see more in the story of Friedrich and Albrecht it is absolutely fine. But it wasn`t intented.

Very best,

Dennis Gansel (screenwriter/ Director "Napola/ Before the Fall")

One reason for wondering about the characters' sexual orientation is that Picture This! Entertainment, the DVD distributor, mainly handles gay-themed films. They aren't known for handling general audience foreign films as well (like for instance Strand Releasing). So seeing the Picture This! logo while scanning the shelves for something interesting might reasonably signal a gay-themed movie.

In this case, a viewer seeking a gay-themed film will be surprised that this isn't one. Instead he will find a terrific film that has no gay content whatsoever. In other words, I'm glad I got to see it.

remember Nazi Germany put gay people in camps like they did with jews.

I'm a Republican, and thats my opinion on this matter.