Renowned British stage director Sean Mathias adapts Martin Sherman's "powerful and provocative" (The New York Times), groundbreaking play, Bent, a heartrending tale of one man's struggle to maintain dignity while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. Max (Clive Owen, Close My Eyes) is a handsome, devil-may-care young man who lives for the decadent nightlife of Berlin while the threat of Nazi persecution unfolds around him. But he can no longer ignore the atrocities when he is discovered in a fateful tryst with a soldier and forced to run for his life. Pursued and captured, Max is placed in a concentration camp where he quickly learns that his chances for survival depend on him pretending to be Jewish — because gays are, in the eyes of the Nazis, the lowest form of human being. In the camp quarry, Max meets Horst (Lothaire Bluteau, The Black Robe), an openly gay prisoner who bonds with him during their time spent performing menial tasks. Their forbidden relationship teaches Max a life-altering lesson: without the love of another, life is not worth living.

Clive Owen (Max) and Uncle Freddie (Ian McKellen) in Sean Mathias's Bent

Featuring a colorful performance by Mick Jagger singing "The Streets of Berlin," and exceptional support from Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters), Bent "earns its place in cultural history" (The New York Times) as an emotionally satisfying masterpiece that will "grab filmgoers by the heart" (Rex Reed).

Produced by . . . . .

Ask Kodansha Company Ltd / NDF Inc. / Channel Four Films (aka Film Four International) (UK) / Arts Council of England 

Distributed by . . . . .

Goldwyn Entertainment Company / Metromedia (Goldwyn) 

Directed by . . . . .

Sean Mathias

Cast:

Max . . . . .

Clive Owen

Horst . . . . .

Lothaire Bluteau

Rudy . . . . .

Brian Webber

Uncle Freddie . . . . .

Ian McKellen

Greta/George . . . . .

Mick Jagger

Officer on Train . . . . .

Rupert Graves

Stormtrooper . . . . .

Jude Law

Officer on Train. . . . .

Charlie Watts

Max's Friend. . . . .

Howard Sacks

Written by . . . . .

Martin Sherman (also play)

Cinematography . . . . .

George Arvanitis (as Yorgos Arvanitis)

Music by . . . . .

Philip Glass

Production Design . . . . .

Stephen Brimson Lewis

Film Editing . . . . .

Isabelle Lorente

Produced by . . . . .

Hisami Kuroiwa (executive) 

Dixie Linder

Sean Mathias (co-producer) 

Sarah Radclyffe (executive) 

Martin Sherman (co-producer) 

Michael Solinger

Second Assistant Director . . . . .

Josh Robertson

UK 1997 Color

Language: English

Runtime: 109

Words by Ian McKellen on Bent

Watch a video clip from Bent

Stream on Amazon Prime