Ungentle
2022·Drama·37m
7.1
★
A fictionalised essay read by Ben Wishaw exploring the complicated relationship between British espionage and male homosexuality. An anonymous narrator talks through the various chapters of his life as a spy and a gay man in late 20th-century Britain. His vivid stories of intimacy and surveillance play out over shots of the luscious countryside, busy Central London streets, and nighttime cruising zones.
Directed by Huw Lemmey and Onyeka Igwe
espionage
spy
lgbt
gay theme
homosexuality
experimental
16mm film
british espionage
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Ben Whishaw
Narrator (voice)
Crew
Onyeka Igwe
Director
Onyeka Igwe
Editor
Stefan Smith
Sound Designer
Stefan Smith
Sound Mixer
Popular Reviews
7 reviews
pleiades
10.0★ · 02/07/26
❝For those dull minds who believe that there can be no lower act than to betray one's country, it must appear as a madness. But some of us have felt love, real love, love as the touch of salted lips caught illicit in the sand dunes, love that risks, love as destructive as an atom bomb.❞
❝If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.❞
⊱ ──── . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ──── ⊰
Beautifully written and narrated, Ungentle paints a vivid picture of male homosexuality in British espionage, and sheds light on the lives of people who served their country and only wanted peace and love in return. Accompanying this is a stunning visual journey through the various British landscapes where history was sewn into every leaf and brick, all filmed in 16mm. Even though it's less than forty minutes long, it's incredibly impactful, and it made me have a good think about the unsung and unfairly treated heroes whose country betrayed them; if you haven't seen Ungentle already, I highly recommend giving it a watch.
❝If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.❞
⊱ ──── . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ──── ⊰
Beautifully written and narrated, Ungentle paints a vivid picture of male homosexuality in British espionage, and sheds light on the lives of people who served their country and only wanted peace and love in return. Accompanying this is a stunning visual journey through the various British landscapes where history was sewn into every leaf and brick, all filmed in 16mm. Even though it's less than forty minutes long, it's incredibly impactful, and it made me have a good think about the unsung and unfairly treated heroes whose country betrayed them; if you haven't seen Ungentle already, I highly recommend giving it a watch.
❝For those dull minds who believe that there can be no lower act than to betray one's country, it must appear as a madness. But some of us have felt love, real love, love as the touch of salted lips caught illicit in the sand dunes, love that risks, love as destructive as an atom bomb.❞
❝If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.❞
⊱ ──── . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ──── ⊰
Beautifully written and narrated, Ungentle paints a vivid picture of male homosexuality in British espionage, and sheds light on the lives of people who served their country and only wanted peace and love in return. Accompanying this is a stunning visual journey through the various British landscapes where history was sewn into every leaf and brick, all filmed in 16mm. Even though it's less than forty minutes long, it's incredibly impactful, and it made me have a good think about the unsung and unfairly treated heroes whose country betrayed them; if you haven't seen Ungentle already, I highly recommend giving it a watch.
❝If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.❞
⊱ ──── . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ──── ⊰
Beautifully written and narrated, Ungentle paints a vivid picture of male homosexuality in British espionage, and sheds light on the lives of people who served their country and only wanted peace and love in return. Accompanying this is a stunning visual journey through the various British landscapes where history was sewn into every leaf and brick, all filmed in 16mm. Even though it's less than forty minutes long, it's incredibly impactful, and it made me have a good think about the unsung and unfairly treated heroes whose country betrayed them; if you haven't seen Ungentle already, I highly recommend giving it a watch.
2
Nana
7.0★ · 09/23/24
Yes, lad, I lie easy. I lie as lads would choose; I cheer a dead man’s sweetheart. Never ask me whose.
No sabía qué esperarme de este, pero me sorprendió dentro de todo. Narrado por Ben Whishaw (lo amo), es una exploración a la psiquis de un espía británico. Un hombre que, siendo espía, también es mucho más que eso. Supongo que no se puede hablar más sin terminar por spoilearlo todo. Me gustan los monólogos. Me gusta que la forma en que está hecho simule la vista del espía. Que te inmersa en esta especie de trance del pensamiento de este hombre que narra su carrera y sus dolencias, sus traiciones. Sus decepciones. Cool.
Me conmovió mucho la mención a E. M. Forster.
Yes, lad, I lie easy. I lie as lads would choose; I cheer a dead man’s sweetheart. Never ask me whose.
No sabía qué esperarme de este, pero me sorprendió dentro de todo. Narrado por Ben Whishaw (lo amo), es una exploración a la psiquis de un espía británico. Un hombre que, siendo espía, también es mucho más que eso. Supongo que no se puede hablar más sin terminar por spoilearlo todo. Me gustan los monólogos. Me gusta que la forma en que está hecho simule la vista del espía. Que te inmersa en esta especie de trance del pensamiento de este hombre que narra su carrera y sus dolencias, sus traiciones. Sus decepciones. Cool.
Me conmovió mucho la mención a E. M. Forster.
Steph
9.6★ · 09/10/24
absolutely wonderful, makes me want to revisit my Another Country 1984 phase
absolutely wonderful, makes me want to revisit my Another Country 1984 phase
benc.mov
8.4★ · 06/29/24
who'd have thought i'd be crying about a cambridge gay
who'd have thought i'd be crying about a cambridge gay
suse
9.0★ · 06/23/24
Incredibly sincere and poignant look into queerness and espionage during the early 1900s. The use of narration over 16mm footage was certainly an interesting choice, but not an unwelcome one.
[9/10]
[9/10]
Incredibly sincere and poignant look into queerness and espionage during the early 1900s. The use of narration over 16mm footage was certainly an interesting choice, but not an unwelcome one.
[9/10]
[9/10]