The Schoolmaster Games could have offered something genuinely interesting; however, little effort is made to weave anything meaningful into the narrative until the closing thirty minutes. The Schoolmaster Games is currently showing at the OutShine Miami Film Festival.
Sometimes, movies get lost in a tangle of conflicting and problematic themes from the outset. Unfortunately, The Schoolmaster Games is one of those movies. Based on the erotic gay novel Magisterlekarna, it’s clear that the director, Ylva Forner, had ambitions of exploring concepts of power, place, generational divide and sexual freedom. However, these themes are encased in a deeply problematic, overly camp and frivolous atmosphere that plays to every possible LGBTQ+ stereotype. The result is a film that, while beautifully shot, rarely challenges the audience with anything remotely profound or meaningful until the closing thirty minutes.
In a homoerotic fantasy world, St. Sebastian College is home to gay male students only. That also applies to the faculty of teachers who have fought to build this gay utopia free from hate or discrimination. However, beneath the veneer of perfection is a cesspit of turmoil, secrets and lies. Here, a schoolmaster engages in BDSM with a student as he struggles to move beyond his own painful memories. Meanwhile, students fall in and out of love while manipulating the faculty and each other. But as the traditional Christmas concert approaches, the cracks in St Sebastian’s apparent utopia begin to show.
Despite this being a fantasy world, one of the first problems of The Schoolmaster Games lies in the very foundation of its story: a gay school where a gay older teacher is engaged in sex and power play with one of their students. This problematic narrative structure plays to long-held and deeply damaging stereotypes of older gay men as sexual predators of the young. If this had found a significant challenge by exploring psychological themes of society’s obsession with youth and beauty, The Schoolmaster Games could have offered something genuinely interesting. However, little effort is made to weave anything meaningful into the narrative until the closing thirty minutes.
Despite its lacklustre and poor opening, there are a few redemptive nuggets to be found. For example, conversations around differing generational experiences of inclusion do, at times, find a voice. While themes of gay shame occasionally burn bright, only to be snuffed out. Are these nuggets enough to save The Schoolmaster Games? Alas, while interesting at times, the answer is no!
Follow Us