Krámpack supposedly means mutual masturbation, so it goes without saying that the U.S. theatrical release would be retitled with the names of the two best friends who shamelessly do so. That said, the film is SO far removed from the typical American teen fare, like American Pie, that the unusual degree of friendship between the two boys is but a small part of the overall European-ness of the film.

The boys have known each other since grade school but are now just past puberty, and their minds are filled with sex, Nico obsessing about his Adam's Apple and his need to lose his virginity, and Dani entranced by his best friend. Dani is just plain sexy, and he knows it. At first it seems like a collision course, but as might be true for the adolescents they are, they start and end as friends. Both learn that they can be the objects of sexual desire -- and the comfort that this brings to a teenager -- but that their sexual paths are diverging.

The movie is well written and achingly sincere, more so than Trick or Get Real, both of which had a Fairy Tale (pardon the pun) quality about them. This film lies closer to the French films Wild Reeds and Full Speed than these. In Nico and Dani the passion seems real, and there is sour with the sweet.

The Spanish seacoast location is gorgeous, as are the characters, who are hardly stereotypes for the most part. The two guys are believable as 16-year-olds (even though about 20). For this reason my rating is a 9, well above the 7+ average rating that is current.

Teen age sexual awakening is at the center of "Krampack". This tremendously frank account of a summer in the lives of two friends who are spending their summer vacation in the home of one of them in Spain. The film proves to be a winner because it presents a situation from the point of view of the young men, instead of from judgmental adults.

Gay Cesc, the Catalan film director, made a good movie about how sex plays a key part in the lives of the two young school mates. The film is made even better by the no-nonsense approach Mr. Cesc gives the film.

Fernando Ramallo is Dani and Jordi Vilches is Nico. While Nico wants it to be the summer where he loses his virginity, Dani has problems of his own as he discovers that he is attracted to men and has to struggle with his new discovery. Both these young actors are totally believable, giving excellent performances, wisely shaped by Mr. Cesc's direction.

This is a refreshing look at a thorny issue, which the director handles with total frankness.

I completely missed the boat on this one - KRAMPACK (a.k.a. NICO & DANI) is an excellent film. To temporarily ditch any pretense of objectivity, this was very nostalgic - my adolescence was a good bit more modest, but the experiences and conversations (even the summertime setting) at many points through this film hit close to home. I won't rehash the plot, which is well-covered by previous reviewers here, but I will say that the film really gets the mix of unease and anticipation right in depicting the evolving relationship between Nico & Dani. On this front, it's a five-star gay-themed drama.

The performances are quite expressive and naturalistic - no movie-of-the-week feelgood speeches appear here, and none are needed. The slightest changes in expression (contrast Nico's responses to Dani through the first 2/3 of the film, to his responses during the last 20 minutes or so) convey great warmth and understanding, giving him the ability to reaffirm his friendship with Dani (in a 'positive' statement greater than any speech) even as they both understand by film's end that the dynamic of their friendship won't ever be quite the same.

On this note the film does have something to offer anyone - it's universal without getting saccharine, and deeply committed to the humanity of its' characters. There aren't any complex philosophical or political undercurrents here, but none are needed - the respect and graceful treatment afforded to two ultimately different characters are more than adequate. A fine flick.