Taekwondo (2016)

Taekwondo is special because it finds high voltage in the quietest places: a lazy week at a country house where the sun lingers, the conversation drifts, and desire hangs in the air like humidity. Marco Berger and Martín Farina capture male intimacy with a rare, unforced honesty—casual nudity, teasing bravado, and long silences all becoming part of a delicate dance between what’s said out loud and what’s felt underneath. The vibe is languid, funny in its locker-room rhythms, and quietly romantic as the film lets tension build through glances and proximity rather than melodrama. It won’t be for viewers who need a fast plot or are uncomfortable with frequent nonsexual nudity, but if you’re open to a sensual, stimulating slice-of-life that trusts your attention, it’s quietly irresistible.

Taekwondo is aiming for a quiet, observational slice-of-life about male intimacy, desire, and the awkward distance between what the guys say out loud and what they actually feel. The problem is it’s so committed to “hanging out” realism that the story barely moves, so if you need a clear plot, turning points, or emotional payoffs, this will feel like watching a week drift by in real time. There’s frequent casual male nudity (including nonsexual full frontal) that fits the film’s naturalism, but it can be distracting or simply not what you signed up for. If you’re patient with slow cinema and like tension built from glances, proximity, and subtext, it has an honest, low-key pull; if you want a proper rom-com or a drama with momentum, you’ll likely be bored.