(Dir. Nicolo Donato. Denmark, 2009. 90 mins).

Easily one of cinema’s most dangerous gay love stories, this impressive film from Denmark isn’t afraid to tackle the rise of European fascism while breaking boundaries at the same time.

The film’s opening scene sets the tone with an all-too-plausible gay bashing at the hands of local white supremacist skinheads. A nervous young man is approached by gang member Jimmy with the promise of sex, but it’s really an ambush and the man ends up stripped and beaten on the ground. It’s a vicious and cowardly attack but also a first glimpse of Jimmy’s inner conflict.

Quietly brooding Lars (Thure Lindhardt) is an ex-serviceman in need of direction. His military career was halted because of sexual harassment allegations by some of his men, which may or may not be true, and he soon falls in with the same Neo Nazis who count Jimmy among their members.

When Lars’ involvement in a racist attack gets him kicked out of home by his increasingly disapproving parents he takes up an offer from charismatic group leader ‘Fatty’ to stay at their beach house HQ, which Jimmy is currently renovating. As Jimmy and Lars spend time together in this isolated, idyllic location their relationship moves from hostility to mutual respect and eventually unrestrained physical attraction, which places them in extreme danger from their gay-hating ‘brotherhood’.

The skill of director/co-writer Nicolo Donato here is in painting a highly believable portrait of far-right Danish politics which his masculine cast flesh out in chillingly realistic fashion, right down to swastika tattoos.

For the most part Donato resists over-emphasising the obvious homoerotic nature of such groups; instead he gives us a plausible gay romance which develops in a convincing manner.

Ironically, Lars is probably the most lightly sketched central character and we never really get to know him. On first meeting Fatty and the gang he voices strong opposition, but then quickly falls into line. I suspect this is a symptom of Donato’s main problem: how to make a character relatable while he’s doing really bad things.

The last few minutes of Brotherhood do collapse under the weight of its premise, but it’s an important and ultimately hopeful film as Lars finds in true love what he couldn’t find in extreme politics. Top marks for its authenticity and for wrapping a real social problem around a groundbreaking gay story.

Brotherhood is now available on DVD.