Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- bleak
- harrowing
- intimate
- historical cinema viewing
- lgbtq+ film discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized Bent’s stylish handling of grave Holocaust and LGBTQ+ themes while finding its theatricality and emotional treatment heavy-handed at times.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Max and Horst are imprisoned in Dachau because of their sexuality, with Horst openly wearing the pink label assigned to gay prisoners.
The concentration-camp narrative is adapted from Martin Sherman's play and emphasizes stylized, stage-like encounters among prisoners and guards.
Max and Horst develop a love relationship while confined in Dachau and subjected to Nazi control.
Max denies being gay and accepts a yellow label associated with Jewish prisoners rather than the pink label associated with homosexual prisoners.
Films like Bent, and why
Paragraph 175
shared LGBTQ+ historical drama, persecution under fascism, and tragic emotional intensity
The Grey Zone
shared Holocaust setting, intimate prisoner perspective, and morally harrowing drama
The Last of the Blonde Bombshells
shared queer historical tragedy, oppressive social persecution, and stylized theatrical presentation
Aimee & Jaguar
shared wartime LGBTQ+ themes, forbidden intimacy, and bittersweet dramatic tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Sean Mathias
- Release Date
- 1997-11-26
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (161)
Cast
- Lothaire Bluteau
- Clive Owen
- Brian Webber
- Ian McKellen
- Mick Jagger
- Paul Bettany
- Paul Kynman
- Rupert Graves
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
- Jude Law
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Dekkoo, Dekkoo Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bent about?
- A gay prisoner’s attempt to survive Dachau becomes an intensely theatrical love story about identity, shame, and resistance under Nazi persecution.
- What is Bent like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bent as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Bent violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Bent as brutal.
- What did critics think of Bent?
- Critics broadly recognized Bent’s stylish handling of grave Holocaust and LGBTQ+ themes while finding its theatricality and emotional treatment heavy-handed at times.
- Which films are like Bent?
- Films with a similar feel include Paragraph 175, The Grey Zone, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, and Aimee & Jaguar.
- How long is Bent?
- Bent runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bent?
- In United States, Bent streams on Dekkoo, Dekkoo Amazon Channel.
