Bonnie & Bonnie

I love a gay crime duo. And that’s more or less what Bonnie & Bonnie is. It’s also a very polished, pretty-looking movie. So pretty that I almost overlooked some of the story weaknesses. Nice though it is to look at, Bonnie & Bonnie doesn’t bring much new to the gay couple crime spree subgenre.

The first of our two Bonnies is Yara. Yara is a 17 year old Armenian immigrant to Germany. Both her father and brother are very controlling. Yara’s outlet for teenage rebellion is posting “prank” videos on the internet with her friends. One day, their prank is for Yara to hold the hand of Kiki. Kiki has a bad reputation as she’d been charged with assault. Despite a rocky start where Kiki pulls a knife on Yara, the two quickly connect. Kiki offers something Yara’s friends can’t; the potential for lesbianism. And Yara seizes on this opportunity. But of course, Yara’s family thinks Kiki is a bad influence. Already breaking the rules with their romance, Yara and Kiki also begin a series of increasingly escalating crimes. Caught one to many times, Yara is pushed into an engagement by her father. This causes Yara and Kiki to further escalate their criminal activities.

Because the two leads are teenagers, there’s somewhat less crime and more teen angst and drama than I expected. One thing the does well is show that while little in the girls’ lives is actually extreme, they certainly think of it as such. After committing an act of petty theft, Yara and Kiki take on the names Bonnie and Bonnie as a reference to Bonnie and Clyde. Their crimes are obviously much less severe than their inspiration. But for them, stealing a bottle of wine really is peak extreme. Teenagers don’t know how to stabilize their emotions too well. Yara and Kiki certainly don’t. This makes for a natural-feeling escalation of drama and destruction throughout the film. When you’ve already nicknamed yourself after Bonnie and Clyde, the jump between sneaking out at night and stealing a car to run from the cops feels like a logically illogical next step.

By the third act, Kiki and Yara have earned their nickname. They are actually a criminal couple on the run. It’s both desperate and exciting. The third act also has a great dramatic moment where Kiki begs Yara to leave. Like much in the film, it’s a reasonably cliche moment. But the buildup of these characters and the filming of this scene makes it a standout. Yara is constantly tasked with choosing Kiki or choosing safety and family. This most dramatic iteration of that theme really sings. Bonnie & Bonnie earned this scene and pulls it off well.

Speaking of cliche though, the ending to this Bonnie and Clyde story carries no surprises. There’s a final standoff that plays out exactly as you think it will. It’s both sad and very formulaic. And I’m sure WLW audiences especially won’t much care for it. It is sort of hard to get mad at an ending or plot point as obvious as this one. But I do less they took a road less travelled. This ending means that the characters and especially Yara go out on a rather unresolved note. Instead of exploring the aftermath of this spree, the film instead cuts to an epilogue which ties things up a little too neatly.

Bonnie & Bonnie’s cliche story is largely helped by adept directing. This is a very beautiful movie to look at. Its focus is definitely on style. Especially early on, the girls’ relationship is sold through montage rather than dialogue. We get snapshots of their love, their crime and their joy. When the film does have the chance to explore emotional depth, it does often fumble. But it distracts you with another youthful and energetic montage. The film also relies on soundtrack for some of its emotional moments. And I think that was a mistake. It makes the moments feel cheesy and artificial. This is disappointing as I do love a lesbian movie with a theme song. But this German lesbian film’s theme song is done by an English speaking man. And it’s a pretty crappy song. So, no points there.

Bonnie & Bonnie finds itself lodged between the fantasy world of teen girls and the gritty reality. It never fully makes the choice of which path to walk. Mostly, it sticks to fantasy and it’s stronger in that regard. The visuals play nicely and the feel of this film is great. But in moments that require character work or unexpected story choices, Bonnie & Bonnie doesn’t stick the landing.

Overall rating: 5.8/10

Other WLW films in similar genres