Michael

 "Michael" is a 1924 German silent drama film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film stars Walter Slezak as the titular Michael, the young assistant and model to the artist Claude Zoret (Benjamin Christensen). Michael is widely considered a landmark in gay silent cinema.

The film tells the story of a famous painter named Claude Zoret falls in love with one of his models, Michael, and for a time the two live happily as partners. Self-conscious of being considerably older than Michael, Zoret acts jealous and possessive. Michael begins to drift from him, causing Zoret to passive aggressively drive Michael away further. When a bankrupt countess comes to Zoret to have a portrait made — with the real intent of seducing him and swindling his money — she finds Michael to be more receptive to her advances. At her lead, the two quickly become a couple and she immediately begins using Michael to steal from Zoret. When Zoret discovers what has been going on, he is crushed and his work suffers terribly.

While "Michael" was not widely recognized upon its initial release, it has since gained appreciation as a significant work in Dreyer's filmography and in the history of silent cinema. The film's exploration of complex human emotions and its visual poetry continue to resonate with audiences and critics alike, cementing its status as a classic of early European cinema.