Category Film & TV
Published December 10, 2024
Landscape with the Ruins of the Castle of Egmond, by Jacob Van Ruisdael
On a warm winter night, in a house standing not far away from the snowy mountains of St. Moritz, with a slight chill coming from the window perfectly balanced by the warm smell of Raclette cheese melting in the grill, four girls decided that instead of going out into the cold looking for unfortunate adventures, they would follow a quest of a different kind: a quest to binge the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It started with me telling a friend of mine that I had never watched the movies. Almost offended by that statement, she made the executive decision that this had to change. So with fresh tea, and several herbs of a different kind, we sat on the couch and pressed play, starting something we did not realise would take up most of our time and force us to ignore all other plans we made for our holiday. I mean, we did ski and go to dinner once, but years from now, I won’t remember the dinner we had as much as I would remember us rushing back home to continue watching the movies. The movies were the extended version, by the way. So yeah, four girls, three days, twelve hours of watching time, and some skiing here and there.
As I mentioned before, this was my first time watching these movies, and fuck me, they were good. Every character’s journey is well-developed, and every battle scene is perfectly filmed. But I think my friends also found something new in their rewatching experience, as it’s one thing to watch The Lord of the Rings in general, but it’s a whole other thing to watch with your friends. So, much like Frodo, who could not have completed his quest without the help of his friends (specifically Sam, but more on that later), we wouldn’t have enjoyed the movies as much as we did without each other’s help.
There are a lot of themes that I can discuss from the films that are as amazing as these. There’s the creation of a magical world and the beginning of a genre that would be used and reused many times. The blueprint of the honest, loyal, genuine male friendship and the bits of love and hope that can be found even in the darkest times. I can talk for hours about the perfectly blended themes of good intentions and seduction of power. I can also talk for hours about each character’s journey; apart from Legolas, he just looked cool and had perfectly conditioned hair the whole time, which was kind of his journey. I can also talk about destiny and how fighting it will inevitably bring it closer to you all the same; I’m looking at you, Aragorn, you perfect motherfucker (Why did they have to make him so fucking noble like, damn, give him one flaw at least). I can talk about all that, about how it made me feel and how it redefined a lot of what we expect from characters in modern cinema, but I feel like that has all been said before and by people who know way more about the books, movies and the themes they carry. Instead, I will talk about something more near and dear to my heart: how Frodo and Sam were so very gay for each other.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, source: Frame Set
So, here I present my honest opinion, which some would say is slightly controversial. During the first movie, the theme of friendship, as well as the theme of promise and duty, was overwhelming the relationship between these two unforgettable characters. However, by the second movie and after the twentieth look of love and longing that the two exchanged, I was sure they were full-on in love. At first, I looked at my friends with a question: ‘Are they seeing it too?’ Then, after a couple more minutes, a discussion filled the room. A discussion consisted of all of us very loudly agreeing that this shit is super gay. Before going into detail, let me address a couple of obvious things. I know Sam will get married and have kids in the end, but I will ignore that. Or I could argue that just because he married a woman doesn’t mean he couldn’t also have been in love with Frodo (bisexuality is a thing, guys; look it up).
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, source: Frame Set
I understand that sometimes honest and genuine depictions of a male friendship can be sexualised, but not in this case. This movie has a buffet of authentic and beautiful friendships: Merry and Pippin, Legolas and Gimli (whose running toll of people they killed on the battlefield was the best comic relief). There are so many portrayals of real brotherhood, but I will never insist that these characters have romantic feelings for each other because they do not; Sam and Frodo do. And finally, if you want to question me more, just picture if one of these characters had a different gender. If one of these characters were female, and you saw the looks they exchanged, you would immediately and without a doubt assume that they were, in fact, in love. So, really, the only thing stopping you from seeing this as a relationship with romantic undertones is your close-mindedness.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, source: Frame Set
Now that I have masterfully convinced you let’s continue. By the middle of the second movie, with the thought that these two were full-on crushing on each other, I had the pleasure of watching two men in love. Every look and phrase cast a flirtatious shadow. Every ‘Mister Frodo’ rang with a promise of unfulfilled desire. And damn, that made watching their journey so much more satisfying. Every time Sam would save Frodo’s ass (which, by the way, was so many times, this dude would die on day one without Sam), we screamed, ‘Get your baby’. I will not go into too much detail since you can (AND SHOULD) watch the movies yourself. I also don’t want to veer too far into fan-fiction territory. After the movies were over, I felt empty inside, so I did what I always do when I am done with a great experience but not ready to let go of it yet. I went on TikTok. And TikTok most certainly agreed with me. I felt weirdly validated when I looked up Sam and Frodo and immediately saw a hundred fan edits of their intimate moments with romantic music. The amount of videos supporting my theory was so overwhelming I had to switch to watching general Lord of the Rings fun facts for a minute. I won’t even get into the interview of Sean Austin, the actor who played Sam, who clearly said, “I think Sam and Frodo should have kissed”. Actually, I just did. He said that. It’s canon now.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, source: Frame Set
So, in conclusion, whether you agree with my theory or not, the relationship between Sam and Frodo is beautiful, full of loyalty and genuine love. The movies touched me and showed me an incredible world I wouldn’t mind returning to. Finally, I want to mention that everything I discussed reflects my experience with the movies, and only the movies. I have not read the books yet, so I can’t say if the relationship dynamics were the same or different. Maybe after I read them, I will write another little analysis, but for now, this is what I got.
As always, thank you for coming to my ted talk, and if I pissed you off, well, get over it, I guess.
