Despite being the LGBT community, it’s not often that we remember the B in our vocabulary. According to a 2022 survey by Gallop News, individuals in America identifying as queer surged to 7.1% last year. Also in that data, numbers indicate that 1 in every 6 persons in that category identify as bisexual. That’s why I’m happy to see the demographic receive recognition in the new Netflix movie Hard Feelings.
Directed by Granz Henman, Hard Feelings finds a high schooler, Charly, with a history of large penis envy as he wakes up one day to discover his boner can speak to him (and only him). His meat stick is desperate for warm, wet gratification and gets Charly into a number of sticky situations in pursue of losing his virginity. And, as luck would have it, Charly’s childhood crush, Paula, simultaneously finds that her vagina can speak to her as well. Will this duo (foursome?) end up bumping uglies?
Hard Feelings is a German import but was dubbed for your convenience by Netflix. Tobias Schafer, Cosima Henman, Tom Beck and Monika Oschek star. Then we have Maximilian Schneider and Leander Lesotho, who play Ziggy and Basti.
I wouldn’t necessarily file Ziggy and Basti as high school bullies. They run in the popular crowd and society has dictated how they should act. They mainly stay to themselves throughout the movie but join in the taunting when falling to peer pressure. Early on in the movie, they are established as a bisexual couple, with each guy having an impressive “helicopter.” Ziggy and Basti appear in six or seven scenes and are vital to three of them.
Hard Feelings is not to be confused with the upcoming Jennifer Lawrence movie No Hard Feelings.
In my humble opinion, bisexual representation is one of the only highlights that this movie has to offer besides trying to serve as a sex-ed of sorts and body positivity. It’s a coming-of-age story that tries too hard to be funny and ends up being absurd. Or it tries to be serious at the worst times and crushes the atmosphere. Or it wants to be sex positive but shames its characters at the same time. Just bizarre all around. Although it’s certainly going on my ‘skip list’ from here on out, I was thrilled to see a bisexual couple out and proud in a high school setting.
As seen with Hard Feelings, Elite, Smiley, Merli and other queer titles, Netflix continues to be a safe space for LGBT content in the modern era.
Now, if you’re interested in getting a glimpse of Maximilian Schneider and Leander Lesotho… Here you go!
I would sure help him out with his hard issues.😀