Tim Bergmann (left) and Sasa Kekez

On one hand, we've seen the story of the new German coming out story Sasha before: a sensitive misfit who is a closeted gay teen tries to survive an ignorant, dictatorial father with the help his best female friend who is in love with him, while his mother, who senses the truth, makes aheartfelt, if ultimately misguided attempts to protect him from harm.

On the other hand, this same story has rarely been told quite this well, or acted by such a good cast. And the fact that the main character, Sasha, is the son of poor Croatian immigrants living in Germany makes this movie seem fresher than it otherwise might.

Sasha is nineteen and, along with his best female friend Jiao (Yvonne Yung-Hee), is studying for a musical scholarship that will finally take him away from the prosaic life of his ignorant, homophobic, pub-tending father. But Sasha hasn't been taking piano all these years because he's particularly drawn to the instrument; it's because he's developed a major crush on his handsome gay teacher Gebhard.

When Gebhard informs Sasha that he's leaving the city for a job opportunity, that news along with all the pressure to pass his audition, results in Sasha starting to crack— so much so that he finally comes out to Jiao, assuming she already knows the truth. But, in fact, Jiao has long nursed the delusion that Sasha is in love with her, which causes her to run into the arms of Sasha's not-so-clueless jock of a brother Boki (Jasin Mjumjunov).

Soon Sasha decides to risk everything and tell Gebhard exactly how he feels about him, even as it's becoming increasingly clear to others, including Boki and Sasha's mother (Zeljka Preksavec, a terrific actress), what's really going on. Can they avoid the inevitable disaster of their father (Pedja Bjelac) finally finding out the truth?

The single best part about this movie is a pitch-perfect performance by German actor Sasa Kekez as Sasha, a Zachary Quinto look-alike who is the perfect combination of confused, self-centered, petulant, and exuberant. Basically, your typical teenager.

The script (by director Dennis Todorovic) may not be breaking any new ground — indeed, it feels a little retro, telling a classic, angst-y "coming out" story with such familiar elements in the year 2011. But it's well-written and heartfelt. And there are touches, like the relationship between Sasha and his oh-so-straight brother Boki, and Gebhard's own mix of bravado and insecurity, that feel extremely real.

It's also worth mentioning the movie is very artfully filmed, taking full advantage of the large screen. In that sense, it's a real shame that most Americans will probably watch it on TV.

Sasha, which has played GLBT film festivals, appears this month on DVD.