When a handsome stranger moves in across the street, his balcony at eye level and in full view, one can’t help but peek at him. Or at least that’s true for Marc (Lluís Marquès), who seems to be looking for distractions from an otherwise perfect partnership with the more outgoing Eudald (Quim Àvila). It’s been six years, yet there seem to be no signs of staleness or complacency – David Moragas’ new film, Another Man, which world-premiered in the Meet the Neighbors International Competition at the 66th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, establishes their rich chemistry from the very beginning as their shared reading time morphs into passionate sex. Six years into what looks like a fun, loving relationship and a shared, homey flat in Barcelona, Eudald suggests they move to a bigger house in the countryside – a proposal that leaves Marc feeling anxious, his eyes bouncing between the window and the neighbour’s balcony.

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Moragas’ first feature in Catalan follows up his English-language flick A Stormy Night [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], in the role of Marc’s highly strung sister Marta, who also seems to have it all. But the nuclear family doesn’t provide either sibling with the stability it should: on the one hand, there’s Marta’s distress at being pregnant again, and on the other hand, Marc’s instinct is to flee instead of nesting with his partner for good. For most of the film, it’s other people who have stronger opinions on what relationships should be and the dimensions of homo- and heteronormativity, and while their unsolicited advice doesn’t get under Marc’s skin, the script builds up a tension anticipating that someone will buckle under the weight of those expectations.

Although it’s billed as a romantic comedy and drama, Another Man struggles to find its footing while straddling the characters’ various attitudes towards gay (and some straight) relationships. It’s clear that writer-director Moragas truly cares for his protagonists, giving them free rein to be as inconsistent, confused and desiring as real-life humans can be; yet the mess is simply not enough and the tangles of desire too loose. The attractive neighbour (José Cerda) exists only as a projection and is therefore denied any lines, but his presence is not compelling enough to stir the drama in a way one would expect in a romantic dramedy.

This is not to say that the Catalan director should have followed any particular genre prescriptions, but the scenes of emotional outbursts feel rather limp, devoid of that potential dramatic flair. Much of that tempered portrayal perhaps has to do with Moragas avoiding clichéd representations of queerness, and that he does well. However, there is so much more to the tense, shared silences and Marc’s quiet yearning than the film lets on – love and self-discovery might not always go hand in hand, but sometimes all a couple needs is an imaginary rival, a made-up love triangle, to yank the chains of normativity and start anew.

Another Man is a co-production between Spain’s Oberon Media, Mexican company Monstro Films and Un altre home AIE, in collaboration with 3Cat. Filmax manages the film’s international sales.