A beautiful, poetic and fairly explicit film, Un chant d'amour seems to me a simple expression of homo-eroticism, homo-phobia, the relationship between the two and gay male desire can exist in that relationship.
The film was written and directed by once controversial and now legendery playwright/novelist/poet Jean Genet, and shot by the even more celebrated Jean Cocteau. It is a short film in which we see a series of men in a series of prison cell, and a sadistic prison guard observing them.
The prisoners are all pre-occupied with various amorous thoughts and dreams. Sometimes these are directed towards the men in the cells beside them, sometimes not. Whilst this happens we see the prison guard simultaneously morally repulsed by and erotically drawn to the men. Both his desire and repulsion are expressed in violence and cruelty.
Although this film is short it certainly does not lack something to say. Although it is not for everyone, in a more tolerant climate perhaps it could be.