This review contains **Spoilers** and the reason is because I came here after watching the movie to see what others thought about it. It's quite confusing at the end...because it's unexpected. Some of the reviews are hilarious, others reflect the viewers' confusion. As soon as it ended...I had a theory, and I don't see any other theories like it - so this is my way of documenting that. Two things I would suggest...1) At the end go back and watch the beginning and 2) listen to the story of the fox & the hare at the beginning...and then go back to the end (again) to listen to its continuation. Some people said the fox was trying to convince the hare to go on an adventure...and we assume the fox is the bad guy...but I think the hare is the tricky one here...firstly, the hare asks the fox to be friends...that's immediately suspicious. And all of the things that the hare agrees to...are not in the hare's nature - so this is a deceptive hare (or a self-deceived hare). Secondly...someone was wondering which boy was the fox and which was the hare...I think it's obvious. Johann (dark hair) is the hare. As the narrator pans to him at the end...he references the hare - and he references the questions they (alluding to the doctors) were asking the hare...as doctors ask Johann questions...why were you in the forest? Was there anyone with you? (was he there alone...?) Why the ropes? Then at the end the hare asks the fox...why did you leave me alone...and the fox says, I thought it was YOUR idea. Going back to the beginning...when he was trying to remember whose idea going into the forest was...Robin's or Johann's...and he couldn't remember well whose idea it was.So this is my theory. There is no Robin...there is no Fox. 1) This movie opens up and ends with Johann being in a mental institution (one where he's being a 2-way mirror...where he can be observed by doctors) - so we know he has some mental challenges. I believe that this entire story happened in his head. This is why he can't remember who came up with the idea...was it him? was it robin? - Robin is a hallucination in his mind. And it's also why, at the end, he asks the fox...why did you leave me alone? "I thought it was your idea" he said to the hare. The hare orchestrated it. 2) I think that's why he was acting so strangely, at the end...he was beginning to suspect something was wrong...and he set up a trap, with ropes. We don't see the other guys face in the trap...we can only see him - he trapped himself. 3) I have another theory, in addition to the first, that Henri, the lady's son, was actually Johann...and he was having flashbacks of his childhood. He was jealous of Robin's interaction with the boy...but it was himself...as a child, before he came out. He began reading the book - and there were letters in it...and the letters made him suspicious of who was behind all of this...so he began acting strangely, went back into the woods, & set up a trap and trapped himself. Also remember when they found the farmhouse and the boys mention the bikes disappear in the middle of the woods...Henri has a look on his face - he knows what happened to the bikes...because Henri is Johann...and all of this is happening in Johann's mind.

I loved this movie! I don't care that I don't understand the end or much of anything else about it. I may figure it out someday, or I may not, but that does not in any way diminish the joy this wonderful movie gave me.I was fascinated for every one of its 75 minutes. The music alone is exhilarating, an eclectic mix including an 18th century Handel song and modern instrumentals that made me want to dance (and I am NOT a dancer). Sebastian Schlecht, who plays Johann, the darker-haired of the two lovers, is extraordinarily appealing in a quirky, understated way, and his expressions during the last ten minutes of the movie just blew me away.I never assume actors are gay, but if these two are not, then they had the best direction any two straight actors ever had, and they followed that direction with courage and dedication and talent few actors have. I believed completely in the passion and the tenderness between them, and their love scenes are some of the most erotic I have ever seen, although they are not even close to being explicit sexually.I can't get over how much better this movie is than other reviewers led me to expect.

I feel compelled to write a rare--for me--review because I feel that the only previous reviewer missed the point of this movie almost entirely.It's true that the photography and setting are beautiful. It's also true that the title refers to the gently-sloping bike lane that the two protagonists choose for their camping weekend in the country. However, like almost everything else in the film, it also may allude to the gradual, almost imperceptible manner in which a "hike in the woods" can degenerate into a mad rush to terror.The film opens in an antiseptic institution of unknown character wherein one of the central characters, Johann, finds himself. In voice-over, he tells of a fable involving a fox and a hare. The fox is attempting to lure the hare into the deep woods for a little adventure. The hare, ignorant of any impending danger, is finally persuaded. "I'm game", he intones. The scene then cuts to a passenger car on a train bound for the German countryside. The young man we have just met now has a new-found companion, Robin. It soon becomes apparent that the two very attractive young men are lovers, each with a bit of a masochistic/sadistic streak. The balance of this rather brief study in human nature--at a mere 75 minutes--is a test of the viewer's aptitude at deciphering which of the two boys is the hare and the other the fox. Every detail in the film is critical to avoiding being blind-sided by the ambiguous and chillingly abrupt ending.

Light Gradient refers to the gradual slope of a bike path the boys take through a German forest. By gradual I mean slow. Entire scenes tend to go by of light bouncing off trees, water trickling down streams. Comparisons could be made with Summers Storm in the use of half naked young German men out in the open. However this movie has a very scant cast. Mostly 2 main characters, with 2 more joining later. This is not a coming out movie. All characters are extremely comfortable with their sexuality and I think this is a wonderful portrayal of owning ones sexuality.However the slowness of the movie will be its downfall. Occasional spurts of naked frivolity break up the trance like pace. The many close ups of Johan are not unwelcome. Overall it makes for a visual feast. The story line, however, is not compelling, just a little puzzling.