"David and the Elves": A Gay Elf Bonds with a Misfit Boy. At Christmas.

 

Decider wants you to skip David and the Elves (2021) in favor of the "far superior" Elf (2003).  But David and the Elves has two benefits that its predecessor does not: first, it's in Polish, and second, there is none of that "somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me" hetero-romance meshugenah.  Of course, one doesn't expect gay characters in a movie from homophobic Poland, but there is a surprisng gay subtext.

Up at the North Pole, where everyone says "Ho ho ho" instead of "Hello," Albert the Elf (Jakub Zajak) is a celebrity, signing autographs and giving speeches about how he solved this or that toy-delivery problem.  But he is dissatisfied (otherwise be lousy story): he is losing is love for humans; how can you love someone who doesn't know you exist? 

 His buddy Erwin (Piotr Rogucki) examines him (by touching his chest) and determines that he has lost the life-power.  If he doesn't find some way to rekindle it, he will shrink, and eventually turn back into a toy!  So it's off to Warsaw, Poland, to restore his love of humans.  First stop: Piotr and Dawid, the father and son who waved at him during the airborne toy-delivery last year.

Albert knows almost nothing about the human world, and trying to follow Elf norms in Warsaw, Poland results in some humorous mishaps.  For instance, he tells a former client, "Mr. Klaus and I were at your house!", which makes her husband think that she's cheating.  And  Piotr (Michel Czernecki) thinks he's gay.

Albert; Remember me?  Last year in the mountains.  I looked at you, you looked at me....

Piotr: There must be some mistake.  I'm happily married.

Albert: No...I mean I'm an Elf.  

The photo depicts Michael Czernecki in a Polish play called Osoby (The Men). Definitely looks gay.

Piotr has a job in glass-and-steel skyscraper with a boss who says"The big presentation is tomorrow," so he needs a little Christmas now.  However, he has lost his ability to believe in Santa Claus -- or Elves, and he thinks Albert is a delusional mall employee.  11-year old Dawid (Cyprian Grabowski) believes -- especially after Albert conjures up a drum set for him, but his parents think he's crazy. 

Piotr: There is no Santa Claus.  There are no Elves.

Dawid: What about the beautiful costumes I get every year?  Beautiful costumes?  Is this boy into dressing up?  

Piotr: Your Mom and I make those.

Albert tries to rekindle his love of humans by spreading Christmas cheer, with humorous results.  When a man at the mall says that he'd rather be fishing than fighting the crowds, Albert zaps him onto a rowboat in the middle of a vast lake.  

Eventually he reconnects with Dawid, who due to a mix up is playing one of the Three Kings in a bunny costume.  He fixes that mess, and they bond as two misfits, aliens in the human world.  Eventually they go on the road.  But Albert is shrinking!

I'm not sure why Albert lost his power (life-energy), or how he gets it back.  We get two explanations: first, experiencing a "real Christmas Eve," with mistletoe, pirogies, and hay under the dining room table; and second, finding a human to love.  Back at the North Pole, he tells Erwin that Elves don't need to love all humanity, just one special person, like Dawid -- or Erwin.

The two Elves say they love each other, hug, press foreheads, and sip their hot chocolate.  Then Erwin wipes some hot chocolate from Albert's lip.  Aww....

Beefcake: None.

Other Sights:  Lots of exteriors in Warsaw.

Heterosexism: Two romantic couples, Santa and Mrs. Claus and Piotr and his wife.

Gay Characters:  Albert doesn't express any heterosexual interest, and he has sort of a romantic moment with Erwin in the last scene.  Dawid is a typical shy outsider boy who can be read as gay, but there are no boys his age around except for some bullies.

Polish Christmas Carols: "Two cakes are rising in the oven, getting tastier and tastier.  We could eat poppy seeds out of the bowl all night.  The cat squints its eyes, the table is all set, it's all white." 

My Grade: B