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Marilyn is a powerful coming-of-age drama based on a true story

With an affection for women’s dresses and a naturally sensitive demeanor, Marcos (Walter Rodriguez) knows he was not made for a life as a tenant rancher – tending livestock and fending off poachers in the beautiful, unforgiving Argentinian countryside.

Starved for connection and finding release just once a year during carnival, Marcos has an unexpected ally in his kindly father Carlos (German de Silva), who pushes his son toward education and a future outside their small, provincial town. But when Carlos dies suddenly, responsibility quickly falls on Marcos and his older brother Carlitos (Ignacio Gimenez) to assume their father’s role, learning the trade, keeping the troubled ranch afloat-and placating their stern, demanding mother Olga (Catalina Saavedra).

With financial and social pressures mounting, Marcos finds a ray of light in a budding relationship with Federico (Andrew Bargsted) yet finds himself unable to escape forces keeping him from being the person he was meant to be, leading to an unforgettable conclusion in this powerful debut feature from co-writer/director Martin Rodriguez Redondo, based on the incredible true story.

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

Short Film Spotlight: Plantonic

A wildly inventive short film romance, Plantonic follows the unique relationship that grows (literally) between a young aspiring artist and the incredibly attractive half-man/half-plant that seems to have grown from a garden.

Originally from Bangkok, writer-director Krit Komkrichwarakool earned a degree in Communication Design, then moved to Canada to pursue a career in film. Integrating his knowledge of design with his approach to filmmaking, Krit brings a unique point of view to his storytelling.

His short film Freefall won “Best Director” at Moscow Shorts and was nominated for “Best Short Film” at the 2018 Leo Awards. Plantonic, recently premiered at Inside Out and won “Outstanding Short Film” at the Reelworld Film Festival and “Best Screenplay” at the Vancouver Short Film Festival.

“Film is a great medium to explore the reflections of our own existence, and the ultimate question of why each of us is here. It is why I do what I do. To speak with my own subconscious. To find a trace of the answers that connect us all,” said Komkrichwarakool.

Watch a short trailer for Plantonic below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

The beloved comedy series Where the Bears Are has a new home 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.

What would you do if you found a dead body in your bathtub the morning after a wild party at your house? That’s the dilemma facing three gay bears in this hair-raising comedy-mystery series – a hilarious romp through one of L.A.’s hippest neighborhoods that will have you laughing out loud and gasping in surprise!

Watch the trailer for Where the Bears Are below. The full first season is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Truth

In the vein of Misery and Fatal Attraction, writer-director-star Rob Moretti’s Truth is a psychological thriller about an innocent love affair that goes wildly off the rails. Sean Paul Lockhart (known in the adult film world as Brent Corrigan) co-stars alongside Moretti in a role that perfectly highlights his acting chops.

Truth opens with an imprisoned man – befuddled, but claiming innocence – who is being interviewed by a therapist. Soon, the story of how he got there unfolds. A chance internet encounter brings the cute, affable Caleb (Lockhart) and the hunky, older Jeremy (Moretti) together. Jeremy seduces the vulnerable young man with compliments, attention and above all, the promise of a secure and loving relationship.

Caleb, mentally abused as a child by his emotionally erratic mother and now wary of relationships in general, succumbs to Jeremy’s advances and a sensual affair begins. But beneath Caleb’s shy smile and innocent eyes lies a troubled young man – and Jeremy harbors his own dark secrets and lies which, together, threaten the relationship. This budding romance soon triggers an unexpected chain of events as trust is violated, tempers unleashed and the destructive side of love takes over.

Lockhart is terrific in a demanding role that exposes the hidden demons buried deep inside each and every one of us.

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

The New Queer Cinema Classic Poison is Now Available on Dekkoo!

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival, Poison was the second feature directed by Todd Haynes – the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Far from Heaven, Velvet Goldmine and Carol.

This groundbreaking American Indie was the most fervently debated film of the early 1990s and a trailblazing landmark of queer cinema. A work of immense visual invention, Haynes’ spectacular follow-up to his legendary Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is audacious, disturbing and thrillingly cinematic.

Inspired by the writings of Jean Genet, Poison deftly interweaves trio of transgressive tales – “Hero,” “Horror” and “Homo” – that build toward a devastating climax.

“Hero,” shot in mock TV-documentary style, tells a bizarre story of suburban patricide and a miraculous flight from justice; “Horror,” filmed like a delirious ’50s B-movie melodrama, is a gothic tale of a mad sex experiment which unleashes a disfiguring plague; while “Homo” explores the obsessive sexual relationship between two prison inmates.

A runaway hit which made national headlines when it was attacked by right-wing figures including Dick Armey, Ralph Reed and minister Donald Wildmon, Poison is unsettling, unforgettable and thoroughly entertaining.

Watch the original theatrical trailer for Poison below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Holiday

The new 20-minute short film Holiday follows twenty-something Maurice (Tijmen Govaerts) and his older brother Louis (Oscar Willems), who join the rest of their family for a weekend getaway filled with unexpected tension.

No longer a kid, but not quite an adult, Maurice is having trouble finding his place. He’s also starting to notice how much of a gap has grown between the generations.

Fueled by angst and growing more and more frustrated by his family’s myriad secrets, he starts adding a certain level of tension to each relationship, forcing a breaking point that his well-mannered relatives refuse to cross, no matter how awkward things get.

A sharp, well-observed comedy-drama from Belgian writer-director Michiel Dhont, Holiday teases at deep emotion hidden just under the surface. Watching the short film, it’s easy to imagine it expanded to feature length, delving further into each of the characters. Nonetheless, the game cast lend naturalistic performances that make the family feel authentic and relatable.

Watch a short trailer for Holiday below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Not Knowing

Umut (Emir Ozden) is a young water polo player – a gentle and quiet high school senior, just trying to live his life in a complicated world.

When a fellow player spreads a rumor that he is gay, Umut, displaying confidence and maturity beyond his years, refuses to deny the allegation, apologize or explain himself.

His parents, distracted by their own marital problems, prove powerless to stem any fallout as his time at high school becomes more and more fraught – until events reach a shocking head.

Set in the high testosterone world of teenage water polo, and a sometimes-suffocating Turkish society, Not Knowing holds a mirror up to what it still means to be young and gay today in so much of the world today.

Watch the trailer for Not Knowing below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Nuclear Family

18-year-old Jules (Louka Minnella) has reluctantly returned to the beach-side nudist camp where he spent summers are a child. He’s been dragged there by his mother (Catherine Grosjean), who is constantly testing his boundaries, along with his little brother (Lohen Van Houtte).

While taking a moment to contribute to a boardwalk blood drive, he meets Karim and attractive, flirty young volunteer. Their interaction is brief, but he can feel that there is a spark between them. When he comes back later, the two make plans to spend the evening – Karim’s last in town – together.

Unfortunately, when Jules’ mother makes a spectacle of herself, wandering naked beyond the camp’s perimeter, it throws his romantic plans into jeopardy and forces him to start reckoning with their problematic mother-son dynamic.

A thoughtful, beautifully-shot 19-minute short from Belgian director Faustine Crespy, Nuclear Family upends the typical gay coming-of-age story in interesting ways. It also features a game cast who are not afraid to strip down to sell the drama and pathos.

Nuclear Family is available now on Dekkoo.

Now Available: A Wake

A Wake is an affecting new drama about a family coping with the death of a teenage boy named Mitchel. Questions linger about the nature of Mitchel’s death, but no one seems to want to talk about it.

Mason (Noah Urrea), Mitchel’s identical twin, is desperate to reach his brother by any spiritual means in an effort to assuage his relentless guilt. Precocious preteen Molly (Sofia Rosinsky) presides over the ceremony, determined for it to go smoothly, but finds herself in over-her-head. And older sister Megan (Megan Trout), fueled by anger and alcohol, insists on asking the questions everyone’s been ignoring.

When Mitchel’s secret ex-boyfriend, Jameson (Kolton Stewart), shows up to the wake unexpectedly, the family is forced to confront realities about Mitchel’s life. When the children clash with their elders over how to handle the situation, family members left torn apart look for solace in places they least expected it.

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

Short Film Spotlight: Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall

Inspired by a convention of Cold War-era Thai filmmaking not well known to American audiences – wherein most of the actors voices were dubbed to emphasize character – the politically-charged queer espionage thriller Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall carries the viewer through a strange world where cinema and reality meet.

The film follows Ang, a transgender sex worker with a pretty (and deliberately dubbed) feminine voice, who is assigned a special mission as an undercover spy. She disguises herself as a cis-masculine man to enter into a romantic relationship with Jit, a belligerent yet idealistic student activist with an evil voice (also dubbed for cinematic effect).

Ang must extract important information from Jit. However, the mission goes awry as she slowly falls for him. Apolitical at first, Ang is slowly awakened by Jit to see the other world where people speak in another way.

Hyper-stylistic, this unusual and fascinating 30-minute short film marks writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke as an artist to keep an eye on.

Watch the trailer for Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall below. The full film is available now on Dekkoo.