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Now Available: Crutch

An autobiographical film taken from the experiences of writer-director Rob Moretti, Crutch is a coming-of-age tale about a young man’s struggle with family problems and substance abuse.

Behind a façade of suburban middle class perfection, David (Eben Gordon) finds that his home life is falling apart. As he tries to cope with the impossible situation, the troubled and impressionable teenager falls under the spell of Kenny (played by writer-director Moretti), an attractive thirty-something has-been actor turned theater coach.

When Kenny’s “support” escalates into seduction, David slowly descends into an abyss of drinking and drug addition from which he must escape if he is to survive.

Originally released in 2004, this gay indie tells a dramatic tale about the confusion of youth and the difficulties in finding oneself.

Crutch is available now on Dekkoo.

A gay couple find their quiet family life upended in the South Korean drama A Distant Place

A rural sheep farmer’s quiet life in South Korea is disrupted by surprise visits from his lover and twin sister in A Distant Place, the second feature from promising director Park Kun-Young.

Having settled down on a sheep ranch in Hwacheon five years prior, Jin-woo has been raising his niece Seol as if she were his own daughter – all along with the help of his same-sex partner Hyun-min.

One day, Jin-woo’s twin sister Eun-young, who is Seol’s birth mother, turns up at their doorstep and insists on taking Seol with her.

As Jin-woo hesitates to send Seol away with Eun-young, she, in a moment of anger, discloses his relationship with Hyun-min in front of their neighbors – revealing a truth they wished to keep secret.

A gorgeous, contemplative family drama full of surprises, A Distant Place marks Park Kun-Young as an up-and-coming auteur to keep an eye on.

Watch the trailer for A Distant Place below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

The essential documentary A Bigger Splash comes to Dekkoo

Released in 1974, A Bigger Splash offered up an intimate and innovative film about English-born, California-based artist David Hockney and his work while honoring its subject through creative cinematic risk-taking.

Director Jack Hazan created an improvisatory narrative-nonfiction hybrid featuring Hockney, a wary participant, as well as his circle of friends, capturing the agonized end of the lingering affair between Hockney and his muse, an American model named Peter Schlesinger.

Seen today, A Bigger Splash is at once a time capsule of hedonistic gay life in the 1970s, an honest-yet-tender depiction of gay male romance that dispenses with the then-current narratives of self-hatred and self-pity, an invaluable view of art history in action and a record of artistic creation that is itself a work of art.

Watch the trailer for A Bigger Splash below. A recently restored version of the film is now available on Dekkoo.

Director Eytan Fox follows up with one of his most beloved characters in the gay drama Yossi

Released in 2002, the beloved gay romance Yossi and Jagger followed the romance that developed between two soldiers stationed in an Israeli outpost on the Lebanese border. Ten years later, award-winning director Eytan Fox decided to follow up with one of his most cherished characters.

Dr. Yossi Hoffman (Ohad Knoller) has become a valued and dedicated cardiologist, often using his work as a way to escape from dealing with his anguished life. He lives alone, still closeted, unable to break through the walls and defenses built around him since the death of his lover. Even his co-workers a recently divorced doctor, who tries to sweep Yossi into his world of women and drugs, and a lonely nurse, who is secretly in love with him find it almost impossible to get close to him.

Yossi’s daily routine at the hospital is shaken up by the arrival of a mysterious woman. He follows her, and through the surprising connection they make, receives a rare opportunity to deal with his trauma. Yossi then travels to the southern city of Eilat. Surrounded by the sea and sand dunes, he meets a group of young Israeli officers, among them Tom (Oz Zehavi), a handsome and self confident openly gay man, who represents a new world, different from the one that shaped our lead character.

An emotional, critically-acclaimed sequel, Yossi is now available on Dekkoo. Watch the trailer below.

The collection French Touch: Between Men features four scintillating short films

Featuring a series of stimulating short films from France, French Touch: Between Men is a collection that showcases stories about men who are all facing a precipice of deep change in their lives – as well as the male figures who brought them there.

Director Guillaume Foirest’s In Seventh Heaven follows Sofiane (Redouane Behache), who lives in a Paris suburb. Violent, he tries to be like his band of friends. However, Sofiane is attracted to boys – and it’s starting to show at inopportune moments.

In Afghanistan, bachas are young male prostitutes obliged to dance, dressed as girls, for a male audience. They are under the control of a master. Director Chabname Zariab’s When You Hear the Bells tells the story of Saman (Shafiq Ahmad Ali), a bacha, who feels threatened by the arrival of a younger boy destined to take his place and his master’s protection.

After an ambiguous Snapchat video featuring Bilal and Adil (Bilel Chegrani and Adil Dehbi) surfaces, rumors start spreading about the two friends. To save their reputation, each of them decided they need to find a girlfriend fast. Their hunt for a date doesn’t quite go as expected in the short comedy Taste of Love from director Emma Benestan.

Finally, Tapette, the last short film in the collection, comes from director Satya Dusaugey. Just when he is about to move in with his girlfriend, Michel (played by the director himself) is overcome with anxiety. To avoid commitment, he convinces himself he’s actually been gay – and in denial – this whole time.

The full collection, French Touch: Between Men, is available now on Dekkoo. Watch the trailer below.

Watch Where the Bears Are: Season Two Now on Dekkoo!

From the creative team of Rick Copp (The Brady Bunch Movie), Joe Dietl (Mom, Maron) and Ben Zook (Jack and Jill) comes Where the Bears Are, a comedy mystery web series that has accumulated over 40 million loyal viewers since it first premiered in 2012 and won the “Best Gay Web Series” award from After Elton.

With Season 2 now available on Dekkoo, the bears are back – and things are definitely hairier this time around. In the second installment of this hysterically funny smash hit gay series, our favorite investigative bears find themselves caught up in a murder investigation when a former college friend and city council candidate turns up dead at his campaign launch party.

Watch the trailer for the second season below and make sure to catch up on all the action. The first two seasons of Where the Bears Are are now available on Dekkoo!

The sexy 2006 gay indie romance Sun Kissed is now available on Dekkoo!

Teddy (John Ort) is a budding novelist who has traded the big city for his professor’s desert home in California to work on completing his first novel. Once there, he meets Leo (Gregory Marcel), the estate’s handsome young caretaker – who soon shows Teddy the ropes of living in the arid wilderness.

Teddy is instantly smitten by Leo’s sexy and casual demeanor, but after he seduces the caretaker one night, he begins to expose a series of layers that seem to conceal the real Leo. Was Leo once married? Did his wife die under mysterious circumstances? And what is the true nature of his relationship with Crispin (George Stoll), the gay gentleman who owns and controls the desert house where the two young men frolic?

Originally released in 2006, writer-director Patrick McGuinn’s Sun Kissed is a deeply sexy and largely overlooked romantic gay drama with a distinctly indie spirit. The film has been given a new polish for the digital age.

Watch the trailer for Sun Kissed below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: High Tide

Writer-director Claire Zhou packs her new 22-minute short film High Tide with low-simmering tension – using minimal dialog and two strong lead actors to tell a story of one man’s burgeoning sexual awakening.

Looking to escape the pain and confusion of an impending divorce, Tarik (Mouad Ben-Chaib) rents a remote cottage in a lush forest in the Netherlands. When he discovers a problem with his shower, he enlists the help of Jonas (Joshua Albano), the cottage’s attractive young owner.

The two men soon realize they have a lot in common. Their encounter awakens long suppressed feelings within Tarik – allowing him to explore his hidden desires and embark upon a journey of self-discovery and healing.

High Tide is available now on Dekkoo.

Bringing Him Back is an erotic character drama about loss, love and human connection

A deeply affecting film about loss, love and human connection, writer-director Borja de la Vega’s Bringing Him Back (also known as Mia y Moi) is a rich character drama with a surprisingly erotic sting in its tail.

Moi (Ricardo Gómez) travels with his boyfriend, Biel (Eneko Sagardoy), to his family home after the death of his mother. Despite arriving to the warm embrace of his sister (Bruna Cusí), Moi struggles to come to terms with his new reality- manifesting in a new disconnect with Biel. When his sister’s boyfriend (Joe Manjon) surprises everyone with his unannounced arrival, their delicate seclusion is shattered – replaced by a potently sensual and tense mood.

Watch the trailer for Bringing Him Back below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Dream Boat

While it’s certainly not advisable to set sail on a cruise ship during a pandemic, this colorful and wildly entertaining documentary invites you aboard from the safe comfort of your home.

Once a year, during normal times, the “Dream Boat” sets sail for a cruise exclusively for gay men – where most passengers, from all corners of the world, are united by the wish to live life authentically as themselves in a protected place. The men have seven days to enjoy their freedom and to love openly. But also on board are their personal stories, their doubts and uncertainties.

Dipankar from India escaped an arranged marriage and now throws himself into action to find the man of his dreams; Ramzi was persecuted by the police in Palestine for being gay and had to start a new life in Europe; Frenchman Philippe was let down by his family when he was bound to a wheelchair, but found a new family with his partner; Martin from Austria enjoys the hedonism and abundant choice of men on the ship and gives his perspective on how to deal with HIV today; and Marek from Poland has everything he needs to stand out on the men’s market, thanks to his trained body.

Watch the trailer for Dream Boat below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.