Sebastiano teaches high school gym classes and coaches swimming. He’s got a job, a girlfriend, and a pretty normal life. But as young Martin starts to infiltrate Sebastiano’s life, his world will get turned upside down. Eerie from the first frame, this Hitchcockian thriller portrays sexual obsession with terrifying realism.

Martin’s manipulative ploys to get closer to Sebastiano succeed as he lies his way into spending the night at his coach’s apartment. The young man’s plans of entrapment are less than subtle, as he lies sprawled on the coach, barely clothed. And when Martin creeps into Sebastiano’s bedroom to touch him in his sleep, things really heat up. Sebastiano resists his charge’s advances, but in the process, his own sexuality comes into question. The two circle each other, one wary, the other sinister and persistent, until tragedy strikes. Toward the end, startling time jumps give us a twist that turns the tables. What we think we’ve seen may in fact bear little resemblance to an even more complicated reality.

Director Marco Berger (Plan B) uses close-ups on details, which adds mystery and makes you wonder what you’re missing outside the frame. A frantic soundtrack drives the story forward as the characters’ lives reach a boil. The perfect film for anyone who prefers mind games in movies instead of real life.