The Third One (El Tercero)

The Third One is a daring film. It has been called soft-core porn. It is not. It has been said to be slow. It is, but the slowness of it, the many long, long single shots, are at the heart of it. Some have said it takes patience to watch. I found it riveting.It is a movie about love. Perhaps this may sound like a strange word to use in a film about a threesome. But there is nothing exploitative about it. An online conversation initiates it, an ordinary enough event these days, and its concerns are primarily if not exclusively erotic.But then the young man meets the older couple at their apartment. They begin to talk, first the two men; then the camera shifts to the young man. This talk, not quite a conversation since mostly they are learning about one another rather than discussing other matters or concerns, is full of implication. Each character is revealing, subtly, almost without knowing it, important things about who they are. Before anything further happens among them, between the two older men on one hand and the younger on the other, anonymity is being stripped away. They are becoming more real to one another, even the couple to themselves.In a conversation, a real one, outside on a balcony, with the city spread out before them, the young man and one of the older men talk more. The subject turns out to be ecstasy, orgasm, not just as a way of experiencing intense pleasure but of making oneself prepared to die, as a kind of intense awareness and knowledge, a letting go through the experience of physical joy.What follows then is, in a sense, an illustration of that. The long scene in bed, while erotic, is not filmed pornographically, whatever that might mean, but balletically, as a sexual dance and exchange among partners. The important thing to note during this scene is the lack of selfishness in the sexual patterns. Yes, it is a threesome, but it is a threesome which is not only a sexual playing; it is truly making love.If there were any doubt about that, it is clarified in the last part of the film. The film is divided into four parts: the initial encounter through the internet, the talk and conversation before bed, the bedroom, and the aftermath of that lovemaking. Each section has its own pace, all slow and deliberate, but the amount of movement in the third, necessary of course, alters the rhythm considerably. After it, the film moves more slowly again, from andante to adagio.The last long shot of the film is the slowest of all. It shows the young man sitting in a classroom not paying any attention to the lecture but thinking back on the night and early morning before. Nothing is said, except for the overheard, barely intelligible lecture. Everything important in this extended moment is to be seen on the young man's face.There is a famous long shot at the end of Queen Christina when Cukor reportedly told Garbo to think of nothing, nothing at all. Her face shot for a longer duration than ordinary would suffice. This betters that moment. It can't be described, so subtly is it acted, a matter of nuance rather than obvious dramatics. It is beautiful. It is about a young man slowly coming to understand, to feel, how he has been changed, transformed, moved in a night. I suppose there must be longer shots in movies. Straub certainly shot some. But I have never seen one when so much emotion, so much depth of feeling, is expressed so simply.Yes, this is an experimental film. But it is an experiment that works. I would include it in its patient intensity with a film like Marco Berger's equally extraordinary and even finer film Hawaii. But comparisons are not to the point. The Third One stands on its own as an original, inventive film that takes real risks and manages to succeed at every one.

I have very positive views of this film. The leads (which is 3/4 of the cast) are great. It starts as a chat between the (college) student and a couple. It's an interaction that seems to go on a little longer than needed to and subtitles were sort of confusing since they would pop up and the text chat hadn't changed. For some reason during their final chat explicit sex snapshots were interwoven in the scene. (Maybe for those who don't speak the language.) Then the young man is arriving at the apartment of the couple. (A gay couple if you haven't figured it out.) Then a long slow dinner and talk are part of the next scene. You may be board with this if you are not comfortable about reading subtitles. But because the shots were subtle you can read the text and not really miss the film. The most beautiful part of the film was the love (sex) scene. Very well shot and A+ for NOT hiding the scene in shade. No real words were spoken or needed. Very interesting action between the three, especially the couple who seem at odds about the threesome at first, but they all make a beautiful love scene. Then comes the morning after and the results of the night before. It seems to work out fine for all. I would recommend this if you like foreign films or love stories.Note: This was the second DVD of the film I received. The first only played the F.B.I. Warning and the studio i.d. Thankfully Amazon handle the complaint quickly. More than I can say for some sights.

Dull movie. Absolutely no story. Nothing happens. Good looking men but looks cannot save this boring movie. Save your money!

Good movie. Only drawback is reading subtitles, but this did not distract from the film. Each actor played their role very convincingly. I would recommend this movie.

This was an unusual movie in that it solely focuses on a gay couple meeting a college guy online, getting him over to their place for dinner and then going upstairs, and the next morning with college guy in class. Was interesting to watch. I liked this movie because it was nothing like I had seen before and was well done. It was like I was the fourth one.

Could of been a longer film, but good for what its worth.

Boring. Nothing happens. Just a threesome without any interesting conversation or action. Not interesting, not intellectually stimulating. Not even sexy. A waste of time.

a little slow to start, but overall it was very real with an emotional component - ended too soon.

So wie beschrieben

Correcto

Great film and more in it than other 'gay interest' films ;) good storyline, some intense scenes and worth watching

Le début du film peut être déroutant et cela le rend très original. C'est un film que j'ai regardé avec plaisir le scénario est bien ficelé et je ne regrette pas cet achat. J'ai bien aimé les scènes longues qui traduisent bien les sentiments des protagonistes. Un peu plus de sexe n'aurait pas altéré l'histoire, mais ce n'est que mon avis. Bon achat.Olivier

Película, una vez vista, muy corta de duración. Creía que se iba a desarrollar mas. Resumen: Encuentro a través de una red social, cena, encuentro íntimo los 3 personajes y fin de la película a la mañana siguiente. El mensaje: Si se puede hacer un 2 mas 1 en una cama sin malos rollos.