Aaron I'm going to be honest, I put of watching this movie for several months for multiple reasons, the most important one being the fact that I was unsure if I would even enjoy "Romeos". I'm a gay transman myself and let's be honest, there aren't a lot of movies who even deal with transgender issues, yet alone the issues gay transmen face. (At this point I'd like to point out that the right word to use in this context is either "trans" or "transgender", most of the reviews on here use the word "trangendered", which is incorrect, in the same way a blind person is not "blinded". Anyway, moving on...) I won't summarize the plot, considering it is probably the weakest aspect of the movie. To put it simple: It's a love story with lots of teenage drama. Instead I would like to emphasize that I was honestly impressed by Rick Okon's work as an actor. Sure, I would have preferred an actor who's actually trans, but I still thought Okon's performance was great. It was obvious that this was a role he really prepared for, the awkward posture is something I always catch myself doing, it was almost a perfect reenactment. Most other issues for transmen were also portrayed accurately, constant fear of being found out, people accusing you of being egoistic, stupid questions, having to fight for your rights etc. Yes, some of it was different from my own experience, but that's the thing, there is not one universal experience. (However, two things were simply wrong/outdated. First, transmen usually don't do their own shots in Germany but have it mostly done by a nurse, but I suppose doing your own shots seems "cooler". Second, you can now change your gender marker without any surgeries, but this might have not been the case when the movie was released.) The only thing I truly disliked was the constant focus on sex. Yes, the gay scene can be quite sexual, but there are obviously lots of gay men who think differently. Oh, and another things: There are definitely better ways to flatten your chest. I was constantly frustrated because the binder Lukas used was just horrible. I suppose it would have erased some of the plot points but it was just frustrating to watch, knowing that there are way better and more functioning alternatives. Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie, especially to someone who has little knowledge of transgender issues.

E. L. I have seen quite a few movies dealing with MTF trans, but rarely one dealing with FTM. So needless to say, I was very excited to see this. And sadly, I couldn't be anymore disappointed. This film feels like a straight up gay male film, thanks to a miscasting of epic proportions. While I'm sure Rick Okon is a fine actor, he has no business playing the role he was cast in. There are so many real transgendered actors and actresses out there, struggling to get work like the rest. And yet, they are denied roles that were basically made for them! It seems very hypocritical for a film that wants to express the struggle of being transgendered. They literally slapped prosthetic breasts on a biological male and called it a day. There are no nuances in Rick Okon's performance to give us any clue that we are watching a pre-op transgendered male struggling with his identity. Not even seeing his breasts can fool me into thinking for the briefest second that he is trans.On top of that, the story was sub par and resembles that of a cheap cliché gay romance flick more than anything. And even that's a stretch, as the romance here is so illogical and poorly done that I was actually irritated when they ended up together. His supposed love interest spends half the film taunting and teasing him, and otherwise humiliating him in public. And then suddenly a light bulb goes off in his head, and we're suddenly supposed to believe that he is instantly redeemed for his transgressions? I don't think so. It is incredibly fake, lacking any semblance of heart.I also have many objections to the portrayal of trans life and emotions. As a trans person myself, it saddened me to see how pertinent questions and issues were just glossed over to make the film a bit more easily digestible to hetero cis gendered viewers. In a perfect world, this film would clue in cis gendered people as to what many trans people experience and struggle with and feel, while making any fellow trans viewers feel a sense of solace and understanding. I don't expect every LGBT movie to be a "Boy's Don't Cry" style tragedy, but I do expect portrayals of LGBT issues to be respected. This film has no respect and no interest in portraying any issues or struggles a real transman faces in the world. Lukas is clearly struggling with his transition, and struggling to find his place in the world as a man who still has his female parts. Yet none of the film's events explore that. In fact, the film contradicts itself by not exploring those feelings, trading it in for cheap pseudo-conflict in the form of the mild teasing and taunting he faces. He is striving to be as masculine as possible, and yet the possible conflict he faces while being attracted to a man, which is by the general consensus of society considered "unmasculine", is never really even brought up. It is a simple, watered down portrayal of trans life that I would only recommend to cis heterosexuals that want to watch a film about a minority, without having to ponder their own beliefs and the harsh realities many trans people face everyday.It's more or less a gay film, with a lead who happens to be trans. It'd be a tad more excusable if there was at least some good drama or romance to be found. And there is not. This could have been an amazing film, and instead it is cheap and even mildly offensive.

jemkarma Romeos focuses on Lukas, a trans boy who is living in a dorm as he does some sort of community work. The film focuses on Lukas' relationships with his friend Ine, who knew him before his transition, and Fabio a man who Lukas has mutual romantic feelings towards, as well as Lukas' struggles and achievements during transition. Romeos is an enjoyable film, though it contains some homophobia and a fair amount of transphobia. As far as I can tell Lukas is played by a cisgender man, which is not ideal. The film has a happy ending, and is very effective in portraying Lukas' dysphoria and anxiety about passing as a cisgender man. (spoiler)There is a short scene which involves attempted rape. (end spoiler) Would not recommend for anyone in a fragile emotional position, due to excessive amounts of transphobia shown by certain characters. Nevertheless Romeos is an enjoyable movie, the narrative treats its protagonist with respect and dignity, and the acting and production value is good quality.(Spoiler) Contains miss-gendering, dead naming, upper body nudity, attempted rape, t-slur, other transphobic and homophobic language (end spoiler)

Irishchatter Honestly I thought the character Lukas was treated really unfair to anyone who was so close to him. I thought that Ine one was such an unsupportive person like why was he still friends with her? The storyline was always so upsetting and very depressing really, I nearly had tears.I wouldn't call this a best LGBT movie because the actors didn't show much emotion doing their roles especially Rick Okon who played the lead character. Himself and the cast probably didn't like being involved with this film. Lemme tell ya, it's not the best to look at even on a Saturday night!