Bent

Bent (1997)

  • 67% of critics liked it
    (21 reviews)

  • 76% of users liked it
    (7,893 ratings)

Sean Mathias directed this screen adaptation of Martin Sherman's award-winning play about the persecution of homosexuals by Nazis during World War II. In Germany, the Nazi party's program of genocide against any and all perceived "enemies" is coming into full swing when the party… More

NC-17,
Directed By
Written By
Martin Sherman
Genres
Drama, Romance
In Theaters
Nov 26, 1997 Wide
MGM Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Emanuel Levy, Variety

    The screen version of Sherman's play about homosexuals in Nazi Germany shows that tyro director Mathias doesn't know much about film for his erratic approach and inconsistent style bring out the play's weaknesses, though the acting is good.

  • Brandon Judell, PopcornQ

    brave, brilliantly effective movie which has the added bonus of a crinkled Mick Jagger singing in drag while swinging from a ceiling.

  • Luke Y. Thompson, New Times

    Tired of gay rights movies and Holocaust flicks? This is both, but it still enthralls.

  • Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

    Stylized yet substantive drama about the plight of homosexuals in the Holocaust.

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Cynthia S


    Certainly well-intentioned, and definitely with some moving moments, but unfortunately this film (based on the stage play) is extremely stagey and rather tedious. Some really great acting, and a decent attempt to show the gays were among those gravely damaged by the Nazis makes it… More

  • Thomas J


    I am sorry to be so negative about a concentration camp movie featuring gays. I really do not know what could have made the story seem relevant. It seemed to just be a movie that says lets do something about the Holocaust and add gays to it and we are sure to get an Oscar. Just too… More

  • _kelly .


    Hot Gay Sex List Commentary:<br/>This is a rarity for this list, as there is only a smudgeon of explicit sex in it (at the very beginning), but it simultaneously contains the most erotic scene ever filmed in which two Holocaust prisoners talk each other through a sexual… More

  • Robert C


    If you decide to watch this, keep in mind it is based on a play. So much of the set design feels very theatrical, running from avant-garde/eclectic in the begining to sparse/simple towards the end. Which in my opinion only lends to the feel of the story, but which others might be… More

  • Audrey L


    An extraordinary film about nazi Germany and one group of persecuted people-homosexuals-a rarely explored piece of the nazi horror. They had to wear pink triangles that identified them as homosexuals as clearly as the stars worn by the Jewish people. I caught this on TV today and… More

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