In the dangerous waters off the Praia do Futuro (Futuro Beach) in Fortaleza, Brazil, two German tourists out for a swim get caught in the undercurrent. Lifeguard Donato (Wagner Moura, Elite Squad) rushes into the ocean to save the men but manages to rescue only one, a handsome ex-soldier named Konrad (Clemens Schick, Casino Royale).

Waiting around to learn the fate of his best friend, Konrad finds distraction in his rescuer, Donato, launching almost immediately into an intense sexual bonding that takes them both by surprise. As days pass without any sign of the drowning victim, Konrad decides to return to Germany and invites Donato to come along — a decision that will ripple through the remaining two chapters of Futuro Beach, which leaves its namesake behind for chilly Berlin. Moody cityscapes — as gorgeously shot as the stunning Brazilian coastal scenes — form a fitting backdrop for the deepening intensity between the two men, and for Donato’s conflicting sexual liberation and physical and cultural displacement. The two men’s lives become unsettled when a figure from Donato’s past comes looking for clues about his lengthy self-imposed exile. Premiering in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, the latest triumph from filmmaker Karim Ainouz (Madame Satã, Love in the Sky) is a lush, erotic tale that hauntingly calls to mind a contemporary, gay variation on Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’avventura, with a great soundtrack that features Suicide and David Bowie.