Derek Jarman's feature film debut is an impressive effort that is as steamy and homoerotic as a biblical tragedy can get. Filmed entirely in what is referred to as "vulgar Latin", 'Sebastiane' inserts into the classic Bible story heavy overtones of homosexual love and lust, something not too shocking for a filmmaker like Jarman to do considering the rest of his career. The opening sequence is definitely the highlight for me. It's definitely the strangest moment in the film; it is very Felliniesque and has an eye-popping and colorful quality that is not returned to later in the film. It is broadly bizarre stuff, but very funny and mildly humorous. And, speaking of humour, I will have to bring myself to comment upon how unexpectedly funny this film is. It's awfully sad, too, of course, by the end it is a straight-up tragedy, but throughout there are funny moments. Much of them come through the ribald and over-the-top senses of humour some of the characters possess and express w/great enthusiasm and energy. Some scenes made me genuinely laugh out loud, helping add to the watchability of this really slow and, for the majority of its runtime, somewhat uneventful film. The film is at its strongest in its earlier and later sections. During the middle of the movie, it is still well crafted and still carries many great elements, but it's also occasionally somewhat boring and I was only half-paying attention during a few scenes. However, the film is soon able to pick up speed, and by the end it has had an actual emotional impact. It is beautifully shot, too, despite its shoestring budget essentially all technical aspects of the film are gorgeously done, the cinematography and score especially. The score is by none other than Brain Eno, and his synth-heavy sounds here contrast w/the historical setting brilliantly, adding even more atmosphere to a film already heavy on atmosphere.

Atmospheric, lyrical, experimental, and with a distinctly queer gaze, Sebastiane is a must for those interested in gay cinema. The film explores the myth behind St. Sebastian whose paintings and imagery have always been linked to queerness as he was one of the only male figures to be sexualized, a rare occurrence, with his naked arrowed chest. Sebastiane, a Christian, is exiled to a remote sort of military camp. The emphasis as has been said is clearly on the visual.The air permeates and oozes of sexual desire and longing. Soldiers are half naked throughout, often wrestling, joking, and talking a lot about sex. Sebastiane, stands apart because of his Christian beliefs, and the film explores the sado masochism inherent in martyrdom, the pleasure the pain brings, further strengthening his convictions. Sebastiane believes strongly in a higher power and the film itself seems em bused with a spirituality in its slow contemplative shots of nature. The film also deals heavily with unrequited love, both Justin and Severes have an eye for Sebastiane but express it in very different ways. There is also a gay couple among the soldiers whose love is tender and natural. Jarman has a distinct "voice", his films and imagery feel deeply personal and are generally in my opinion fascinating to watch.

Remember seeing this film on the big screen in an art film house in Ottawa while I was a student in Visual Arts two decades ago. Absolutely loved it and have pretty clear recollection of most of it, it's amazing! I was a bit blinded by some of the homo-erotic content and had no idea that Jarman would go on to make a number of art-house films, many also dealing with homosexual texts such as Carravagio, a painter I absolutely love as well as Edward the Second, film version of Christopher Marlowe's play of the fay king of England. The acting in Sebastiane may seem stilted but that also might be due to the fact that many of the actors were amateurs; the Latin for me also lent an aura of authenticity since I studied Latin in high-school for five years. The historical accuracy of the life of Sebastian, the saint, was more correct than most of the hagiographies of his life. The settings were perfect, the depictions quite accurate, the drunken scenes were real because they really were drunk. The hand held quality of the film was a pioneering method of filming that also lends to the realism of the period. All in all a wonderfully creative, even innovative, stylised film that I remind to those who enjoy auteur and art-house plus homo-erotic movies. The sound track was done by Brian Eno and was released separately as "Music for a Movie". This is the only part of the film that strikes me as incongruous but somehow the moody style set by Eno's pioneering electronic music does work. Needless to say that Jarman's short filmography is to my mind very impressive.

"Sebastiane" is fairly unique in film history, at least prior to Gibson's "The Passion," for its exclusive (and historically correct) use of Latin. That said, it was also a ground-breaker for its sensitive and frank depiction of homosexual desire in a film intended for the non-pornographic market. Potential viewers should be aware that the same-sex sexual content is quite explicit, and that the film would have an NC-17 rating if released in the US today. The film was shot entirely on location in (if I recall correctly) North Africa, and the arid, nearly tree-less landscape lends itself to the storyline quite well. Costuming is minimal, limited to loincloths, helmets, greaves, and gauntlets. The acting is somewhat stiff, probably the result of speaking a "dead" language. But without question, if you are a fan of Derek Jarman and his work, this is a film that should not be missed, if you can find it. I have never seen it on any seller's lists in the US. My own tape of it was obtained in Europe.