A pitch perfect and beguiling ode to the all-encompassing pull of desire, DAVID S BIRTHDAY stands out as an example of gay European Cinema at its most potent. Two married couples head out to the stunning Italian coast for an ideal holiday in the sun. With both Diego and Shanny, and Matteo and Francesca s relationship seemingly solid and unflappable, the group of friends settle in for a typically serene beach holiday. But when Diego and Shanny s young buff son David arrives, it becomes quickly evident that it is not just the young girls on the beach who are drawn to his Adonis-like beauty. And when Matteo finds he too is increasingly struggling to keep his desire under wraps it becomes clear that things inevitably heading down an increasingly dangerous path. Pulsating with a rare eroticism (David s sexuality literally drips off the screen), David s Birthday expertly weaves its way toward an operatic crescendo bound to be the talked about for some time.